Leading Narratives

A team can lose. Any team can lose. But in a sense, a very real sense a coach never loses. For the job of a coach is over and finished once the starting whistle blows. They know they've won or lost before play starts. For a coach has two tasks. The minor one is to teach skills: to teach a child how to run faster, hit harder, block better, kick farther, jump higher. The second task: the major task is to make grown-ups out of children. It’s to teach an attitude of mind. It’s to implant character and not simply impart skills. It’s to teach children to play fair. This goes without saying. It's to teach them to be humble in victory and proud in defeat. This goes without saying. But more importantly, it’s to teach them to live up to their potential no matter what their potential is. It’s to teach them to do their best and never be satisfied with what they are. But to strive to be as good as they can be if they tried harder. A coach can never make a great player out

I was sustained by one piece of inestimable good fortune. I had for a friend a man of immense and patient wisdom and a gentle but unyielding fortitude. I think that if I was not destroyed at this time by the sense of hopelessness which these gigantic labors has awakened in me, it was largely because of the courage and patience of this man. I did not give in because he would not let me give in. --Thomas Wolfe  I had always said to myself that forty was the cut off point of my apprenticeship which may for some people, sound like a very long one, but the novel as art is a middle-aged art. I was very frightened when I turned forty. I suddenly thought I ought to wake up and be speaking with the voice of God. I said that to my mother and she said, "you've been speaking with the voice of God since you could talk! Don't worry about it!" --Jane Rule The concern that some women show at the absence of their husbands, does not arise from

Captains are important and serve a unique function on our teams, so I enjoyed this article from Leadership Freak, The Three Power-People You Need On Your Team.  I don’t want to get into whether you choose captains or you let the team, or whether or not your captains are always seniors, or whether you don’t have captains at all.  I want to focus on what qualities we should look for, and what we should coach the team to look for, in our team leaders. What we should look for in team leaders: Hard working. I don’t know about you, but my best captains have been the hardest workers.  When they asked the team to run through a wall, their teammates knew the captain would be right there with them…leading the way. Strong opinions and emotions. They should be passionate about the sport, about the team, and about their teammates.  Ideally they’re able to harness that emotion into motivating their teammates. Unflinching alignment with organizational values.  What is it you value as a coac

Did you know... That as a teenager C leopatra became Queen of Egypt? Tommy Hilfiger opened his first clothing store. Barbra Streisand opened to rave reviews in her first Broadway play. Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft It is never too early to expect great things from someone! Print Edition $24.99 Instant Download &19.99 Print & Download $31.99

1 . C ontagious energy  2. C ommunication  3. C onnection  4. C ommitment 5. C aring by Jon Gordon fromjongordon.com   Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------