BEHIND THE MICROPHONE

How To Stay Ahead of the Pack

One of my greatest challenges is not to give in to my own negative thinking.

It's always more regret than anger. Watching tape back of a broadcast or a speech, my own selftalk can get pretty harsh. I know, we are always harder on ourselves than anyone else could be, but that doesn't ease the pain of mistakes made, or the regret of having let a moment pass where I was not at my absolute best.

It's also true that the chatter we hear from others plays a role. And that, we can all do something about.

My friend Karon Cook (www.karoncook.com) wrote an intresting blog piece on that very subject, "Focus on Your Dream and Ignore the Hecklers".

Here are a few excerpts:

When you think of the word “Heckler”…what comes to mind?  I see Jerry Seinfeld doing his stand-up routine and having to contend with some drunk yelling at him from the dark. 

 

Did you realize that we all have “Heckler’s” in our lives?  Some of these people may even be our friends and family.  Their contribution is sitting on the sidelines, trying to distract you and willing to do anything so that you will miss your shot.  Often times their words of criticism come easily and it ends up getting in your way which can lead one to believe that they don’t want you to succeed.  Hecklers tend to support the opposing team....

 

What about the Cheerleaders?  No, I’m NOT talking about the women on the sidelines of certain Sporting Events. 

 

The Cheerleaders I’m referring to, are the people in your life who are encouraging, are on your side ~ especially when you are trying to reach out for something new.  They are excited for you, saying things like: “Yes, it’s going to be a challenge, but you’re up for it” and “You’ve studied, you’ve got the knowledge to pull this off”.  They roll up their sleeves to work with you and when you’re not listening … brag about you to others....

 

Yes, indeed. Be a cheerleader. First for yourself, and then others.

 

To read Karon's entire blog post, click here: http://karoncook.posterous.com/focus-on-your-dream-and-ignore-the-hecklers

 

Until next time,

 

Bob

 

 

The Big Three

What does it take to win?
Here are three things, that if even one is missing, your team might be in for a very long season.
Here are three cornerstones that are essential:

1. LEADERSHIP

We all know this, but it is amazing sometimes how lightly this key component is taken. As Dr. John C. Maxwell so rightly says, “Leadership is influence. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
A successful team must have leaders, some vocal, some by example. But unless there is a take charge person in your organization, the team will be rudderless.
And in today’s professional sports climate, if your best player is not your best person, you don’t have a chance. It will be the death of your team.

2. TALENT

We all know that a jack-ass has never won the Kentucky Derby. You must have the horses. But you don’t need the “best” players to have a successful team. You need to have the best “right” players for your team.
If I were to ask you to name the 10 greatest players in NBA history, you all would turn in a list that would include these three names: Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor. And these three did play together. They did not win the championship. In the 1968-69 season, The Big Three lost to the Boston Celtics, who finished fourth in the East during the regular season. You need the best “right” players to unite and inspire the rest of the team.

3. CONFIDENCE

This is always a tough one. Does success breed confidence? Or the other way around? One thing is for sure, in pro sports if you don’t think you can win, you’ll be right. How do you become a confident player? With your personal preparation, i.e., those long, lonely hours in the gym, far away from the cameras and the bright lights, working on your game. Busting you butt in practice. Knowing your play book inside-out. And not just your position, everyone’s position on the floor. (80% of a team’s offense is played without the ball). KYP which stands for Know Your Personnel. You have to know every night who you are up against, what he likes to do, what he doesn’t like to do, what is his pet move, what will he do when the pressure is on?
This may be the biggest challenge for the Hawks. The group that has been here the last three years has won 69 games out of 246. How quickly can they establish confidence and keep it through an entire season will be a major key.
Winning early will go a long way in establishing the baseline of confidence for this team. They are looking at opening with six straight playoff opponents. The tests will come early.

Next week, the Hawks season preview.

Best of luck to new Atlanta WNBA owner Ron Terwilliger has he steps up bring us the league’s newest team. I’ve always wondered why Atlanta has never been on a short list for cities getting a team. This markets’ TV ratings for the WNBA have always been amongst the best in the country (with Knoxville and Memphis). But thanks to Ron, we now have a team. Can’t wait for May of ’08 when we can watch them play at Philips. And for all those ripping the idea and making jokes about it, you obviously don’t have daughters. This is a great thing for our community. At last week’s press conference, Atlanta's sports movers and shakers were all there lending their support. Didn’t see any of the naysayers, though.