Leading Narratives

  Greatness is not about someone who has the ability to be great. Greatness shows up when someone might not have the ability but finds a way to succeed. They outwork their opponents, they outhit their opponents, they outfight their opponents. They want it more.  Don’t give me the guy who’s supposed to be all-world and you’ve got to try and talk him into something. Give me the guy who has maybe just enough talent to be on the field but thinks he’s great, and who’s willing to do whatever he can do to contribute, to make the team better. That’s what I want.  – Mike Singletary

Win on the road Not since 1980 has a collegiate team won a championship with a less than .500 winning percentage on the road. Tough teams win in tough places. Set the tone .  Tough teams determine how games are played. Tough teams execute and control the tempo. Always show toughness When tough teams are down, they do not show frustration.  If tough teams are hurt, they do not show pain.  The opponent cannot read a tough team. Are Consistent Tough teams always show up to play every time they step on the floor.  Practice is tougher than games so games become easy. Respect every opponent Tough teams understand that every game is important.  Tough teams understand that every opponent can beat them no matter what their record or reputation. Are identified with toughness Tough teams play great defense and take pride in it. Tough teams are on the floor first for loose balls.  Tough teams do not turn the ball over. Tough teams believe...

A couple was going on vacation but his wife was on a business trip so he went to the destination first and his wife would meet him the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick email. Unfortunately, when typing her address, he mistyped a letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife whose husband had passed away only the day before.  When the grieving widow checked her email, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint. At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen: Dearest Wife, Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P.S. Sure is hot down here. Moral--As leaders we must not only communicate effectively but we also must know who we are communicating with.

Don Meyer . TEAM ATTITUDE (WE BEFORE ME) Love for each other Unselfish Trustworthy Huddles on the floor Clean lockerroom Help teammates up Wipe up floor Sprint off floor Disciplined Know Roles SERVANTHOOD / STEWARDSHIP Courteous / Polite Pick up trash Sportsmanship Respect for the game / Opponents Doing the next right thing right Get to know & help the custodians TOUGHNESS (NEVER OUT HUSTLED, NEVER OUT-THOUGHT) Execute fundamentals Talk Collective toughness Discipline to do the right thing on the court Get outside your head and get in our head Buy-in STUDENTS/ TEACHERS OF THE GAME Work at Camps Active and teaching bench Sense of urgency --Adapted from the late Don Meyer, Northern State University Basketball  Thought for the week: There comes a time when you have to be your own hero. Print Edition$24.99 Instant Download $19.99 Print & Download $31.99 More Information

There lived a bear by a riverside in a jungle. One day, he felt hungry. The bear went to the river to catch some fish. Standing by the side of the river, he stared into the water. Soon enough, he saw a fish. He pounced on the fish, and caught it. But then, the bear thought, “This is too small a fish to fill my stomach. I must catch a bigger fish.” So, he let off the small fish. He waited for some time, till he caught another fish. This time too the fish was small. He thought that the small fish would not fill his belly. So he again let the fish go off. This way he caught many small fish, but let all of them go off, still thinking that the small fish would not fill his belly. By sunset, the bear had not caught any big fish. He began to feel sorry for having let off so many fish. He realized that all those small fish, together would have filled up his belly, but now it was too late. He had to remain hungry that day. The moral? A small fish in hand is worth a big fish in the water. Le...

He is the man who leads practices, and makes the decisions for the team and is responsible for its performance. He's hired to win and often fired if he doesn't. He's called a coach and it's a different job.   There is no clear way to succeed.  One cannot copy another who’s a winner, for there seems to be some subtle secret chemistry of personality that enables a person to lead successfully and no one really knows what it is.  Those who have succeeded and those who have failed represent all kinds. They are young, old, experienced and inexperienced. They are soft, tough, good natured, foul tempered, proud and profane.  They are articulate and even inarticulate.  Some are dedicated and some casual.  Some are even more dedicated than others.   Intelligence is not enough, and dedication is not enough. They all want to win, but some want to win more than others and just wanting to win is not enough. Losers almost always get fired, but winners get f...

About a hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The newspapers had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock. Am I here or there?  When he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people had said about him. The obituary read, "Dynamite King Dies." And also "He was the merchant of death." This man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words "merchant of death," he asked himself a question, "Is this how I am going to be remembered?"  He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. From that day on, he started working toward peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the great Nobel Prize. Just as Alfred Nobel got in touch with his feelings and redefined his values, we should step back and do the same.  Leading Narrat...