Posts

Showing posts from January, 2022

Deadly Sins That Destroy Teams and Individuals

Image
Mohandas Gandhi listed the seven deadly sins he had encountered throughout his extraordinary life. He identified them as: Wealth without work Pleasure without conscience Knowledge without character Business without morality Science without humanity Worship without sacrifice Politics without principles These same sins are as deadly today as they were then and they still destroy teams and individuals. - -Adapted from  The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life

Defining Roles The Dean Smith Way

Image
  We always hoped that roles for the players would unfold naturally and be defined in practice. These were intelligent young men. They usually knew which players were doing best in practice. Their own strengths and weaknesses were exposed. All of them knew that playing time at Carolina was earned by practice performance. But sometimes roles weren’t easily identified. Sometimes the competition for playing time was extremely close, as was the talent of the players and players honestly didn’t know where they stood.  On such occasions I had to step in and help the players understand their roles as well as what was expected of them. That was accomplished with candid, one-on-one conversations between the player and me. After the first blue-white scrimmage, which was usually held about three weeks after the start of practice, I met individually with each player. I told each player where he stood at that particular time and what he could expect as far as playing time was concerned. I emphasize

The Importance of Telling a Good Story

Image
The most effective communicators have been great storytellers, from Aesop to Jesus to Abraham Lincoln to Mark Twain to Garrison Keillor to Ronald Reagan. Why? Everyone loves a story. Stories are like windows to the truth. Leading through storytelling requires more than just spinning yarns; the stories must make important, relevant points. Through parables, Jesus imparted many of his most vital messages. Leaders need to appreciate this impact and prepare their own repertoire of parables that relate to their own particular enterprise.  Jesus both established and perfected the use of parables as a leadership methodology. Just think of the heroes he created who continue to inspire us—the good Samaritan, the good and faithful servant, the wise virgins, the poor widow, and others. As a leader, you need to teach through relevant stories that create heroes, build legends, and help establish the kind of culture that inspires your followers to excellence. Too many tell stories in which they are

Who Am I?

Image
I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly, correctly. I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great people; and alas, of all failures as well. Those who are failures, I have made failures. I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human being. You may run me for a profit or turn me for ruin - it makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you. Who am I? I AM HABIT. --The Coaching and Leadership Journal, December 2012