Coach James was a phenomenal influence on my life. He taught be so much about life, dedication and achieving success. He taught by example and setting systems that everyone had to follow to win championships. The following are observations made during my time there. Great lessons for all businesses.
- Setting high goals, no matter how absurd they may be at the time, will result in levels of success that you never expected.
- As a team leader, success comes from surrounding yourself with outstanding people. The exec should coach the coaches and hold them accountable. James used to have a wooden plaque on his desk that read: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
- Time management and attention to detail gives you the edge you need to win when things get complicated. He was the most detail-oriented person I’ve ever met. I’ve worked in the business world for 36 years, and no one comes close. When I became a graduate-assistant coach, Coach James instructed me on the correct way to staple a game plan: upper left corner, one quarter inch from the top, parallel with the top line of the page.
- Never stand in the way of letting good people advance their careers. Highly qualified prospective candidates will see this and they will want to join your team.
- Always teach and coach in a positive manner. Desired behaviors are established quicker when people are receiving positive reinforcement and believe they are getting better.
- It’s OK for people bring you bad news. No penalties. If bad news and potential problems are withheld, then you won’t know what problems you need to fix.
- You don’t have to be considered a pleasant, approachable person to be successful or engender admiration, loyalty and respect. The only similar person I’ve ever met was a pretty successful guy – Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM.
No comments:
Post a Comment