Leading Narratives

  The great Western Disease of "I will be happy when …" is sweeping the world. You know the symptoms. You start thinking: I will be happy when I get that … that promotion … that status … that money ...that win. The only way to cure the disease is to find happiness and meaning now. When older folks who were in their last years of life were asked what advice they would give to younger people there was a theme that was present over and over--find meaning and be happy now! You may work for a wonderful company and believe that your contribution is very important. But when you are 95 and you look around your death bed, very few of your fellow employees will be waving goodbye! Your friends and family will probably be the only people who care.  Don't get so lost in pleasing the people who don't care that you neglect the people who do. --Adapted from marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com Coach Yourself: A Motivational Guide For Coaches And Leaders ​ by Dan Spainhour Product Details ISB...

  An introvert is not a shy, socially awkward, quiet being who doesn’t like people. They also aren’t people striving to fit in with an extroverted world. Introverts are over-sensitive to dopamine. If around crowds of people for too long, they feel drained. It takes them being alone with their thoughts or crafts to re-energize themselves. Extroverts are the opposite, in that they don’t get enough dopamine, and feel energized when they are around crowds of people. They thrive around crowds because they feel drained when they are by themselves. An introvert isn’t necessarily a shy person; they just would rather interact in one on one situation. They don’t waste their time around people putting on acts for a crowd, because they don’t feel the need to do that in social settings. If they are comfortable being in one on one situation, then they want to meet people of substance and value rather than someone who will put on a show for them. It’s in their nature to be aware of these things b...

  "Get in because you love the game, not what you get from the game. I would say the same thing to a player. Play because you love the game, not because of what you'll get out of the game. And then give the game back what it deserves. The rest of the stuff will take care of itself. But love the game." Leading with the Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life

A researcher had the opportunity to talk with old people who were facing death and to ask them what advice they would have had for themselves. Their answers were filled with wisdom. One recurring theme was to take the time to reflect on life and find happiness and meaning now. A frequent comment from old people runs along the lines of: "I got so wrapped up in looking at what I didn't have that I missed what I did have. I had almost everything. I wish I had taken more time to appreciate it." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coach Yourself: A Motivational Guide For Coaches And Leaders About This Book Coach Yourself is a unique book, compiled exclusively for coaches to provide you with physical, mental and spiritual motivation throughout the season. In his follow-up to A Season In Words, veteran coach Dan Spainhour arms you with quotes and motivational ideas to help you achieve peace of mind through...

"Your whole entire life, you're chasing this trophy, this crystal ball. At the end of the day, it doesn't bring any value to your life. That's probably the biggest thing I've learned. There's an illusion created by society, whoever it may be, that if you do do this, you will be somebody. You'll be of significance. You'll be of importance." "A sports psychologist did a study. They took, I think, 100 athletes in the Olympics in 2012 and they asked them, 'If you could take a performance-enhancing drug and be guaranteed to win a gold medal and it would be totally traceless and it could never be detected. You'd win the gold medal and it would never be detected, but five years after the time you take it, you will die.' Fifty percent of the athletes said they would do it. I think that's because our society has created this feeling of what success is about. It's an illusion. It's the biggest thing that destroys people's ...

"You are going to have to have thicker skin because you were criticized a hundred years ago but nothing like you are criticized now. You have to have a great focus to coach your team but not forget your family and the important things. I really believe this, no profession in the world is more scrutinized than coaching." "I say it like this because I have golf buddies. Everyone in the world thinks they can be a basketball coach or a golf course superintendent. If you play golf, there's always someone who says, why do they mow it like this or why don't they put water over here or why don't they clean this place up? We have 21,288 in attendance at our game and a lot of those guys, 'Why is Roy doing this? Why is Roy doing that?' In my mind, it must be the easiest profession in the world because everyone thinks they can do it better than the guy who is doing it." Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court

In conducting research for a book, Marshall Goldsmith and his co-author interviewed more than 200 high-potential leaders from around the world. A key question that they asked was: "If you stay in this company, why are you going to stay?" The top three answers: "I am finding meaning and happiness now. The work is exciting, and I love what I am doing."   "I like the people here. They are my friends. This feels like a team--like a family. I might make more money if I left, but I don't want to leave the people here."   "I can follow my dreams. This organization is giving me the chance to grow and do what I really want to do in life."  In November 2015 Dr. Marshall Goldsmith was recognized as the #1 Leadership Thinker in the World and the top 5 Management Thinker at the Thinkers50 Award Ceremony in London. In his powerful new book, Triggers, bestselling author and world-renowned executive coach Goldsmith examines the environmental and p...