BEHIND THE MICROPHONE

On Coaching Behavior

Post-Game Saturday night. Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville. Vanderbilt coach James Franklin and Georgia assistant Todd Grantham get nose-to-nose in a nationally televised shouting match.

Post-Game Sunday afternoon. Ford Field, Detroit. 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and Lions head coach Jim Schwartz nearly come to blows after Schwartz took exception to Harbaugh's post-game congratulatory handshake.

OK, you've seen the video dozens of times. There's a lot of wrong here. But here's the leadership message that is getting lost in who is right and who is wrong: guys, you have to dial it down.

As the leaders of the football team, you have to keep your cool. They call it poise under pressure. If you expect the players to keep their cool when all around them are losing theirs, then you, too, must abide by those rules.

College and pro football are ultra-competitive. There are nights you would like to rip someone's head off. But you can't, at least in public. You are the leader and your conduct sets the tone.

And, if you need a reminder, there will be plenty of video after the fact. A frame-by-frame replay of your behavior will be made available within seconds on You Tube.

Let your coaching and your team speak for your success. As ticked off as you get, you must have the discipline to walk away.

Just like you tell your players.

The Conundrum of Leadership

Sunday morning, I received word that University of Georgia linebacker Cornelius Washington had been arrested for DUI and speeding only hours after his team's 24-10 victory over Mississippi State.

I was thankful that that no one, including Mr. Washington, was injured by his actions.

Immediately, Washington was suspended for a minimum of two games.

Cornelius played a great game, recording two sacks for a Georgia defense that is coming on strong. The Bulldogs pass rush has been superb in recent weeks, and Washington has been a big reason why.

Now, his loss affects the team in a big way.

But his post-game poor judgement got me thinking about teamwork, and leadership, and the buy-in from all on the team.

I spent considerable time last weekend with Georgia players and coaches, and many mentioned the true team spirit that had galvanized their group from the inside.

Many pointed to leadership lessons gleaned from Jon Gordon's highly acclaimed book, "The Energy Bus", where Jon describes energy vampires and his famous No Complaining Rule.

What struck me then, and today, is how everyone was on board with this thinking and the positive impact it was making.

So what has me puzzled about Washington's poor decision was this: what is the leader supposed to do when he or she thinks everyone is On The Bus and someone strays?

And what is the tipping point for that person who momentarily gets Off The Bus?

Certainly, head coach Mark Richt has been down this road before. He acted swiftly, suspending the player, and making him apologize to the team. Washington will be missed.

As for the person  involved, what causes someone to forget about the lessons learned, and begin a chain reaction that clearly will be detrimental to himself, his family, and his team?

It's an age old question to be sure. We all have an override button. It's called free will. What makes us push it from time to time? Ego? Arrogance? Alcohol? Philosophers have been wrestling with this one since the beginning of time. Trying to figure out human behavior is a centuries-old proposition.

As for the leader, how do you handle the blind-side hit? How will effect the rest of the team? The leader must press on, stick with what he or she thinks is right, and keep the team together.

It looks like this to me: if you say you are going to get on the bus, then stay on the bus. But if you don't want to get on, don't. If you want off the bus, tell someone first. Don't let the leader get a phone call at 2 in the morning from the Highway Patrol announcing your decision.

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 Care and Feeding of Your Brand

I've been spending the last few weeks watching endless pre-season college football media days...those staged events where every coach and select players preview their teams' up and coming season.

And it struck me how easy it is for an "accredited" journalist to open up his smart phone and start broadcasting YOU--Mr. Coach, Mr. Wide Receiver, etc.

How that brand---your brand---comes accross is so important.

It is imperitive that these opportunities be taken very seriously. The image that you portray helps define you. Do you come accross as intelligent? Thoughtful? Insightful?

Mr. Executive, do you answer the questions with genuine interest, or do you rely on "coach speak" just to get through?

Ms. Athlete, do you go back and watch the tape of yourself? How did you do? What kind of a grade would you give yourself? Speak in cliches? Repeat verbal crutches as you tried to come up with the right words? Did you offer anything original?

These are very important questions. Because social media is EVERYWHERE, 24/7/365. And much of today's sports news is being generated by reporters who use only new media, espcially the blogs.

What should be your responce to this? Embrace it. Become one with it. Start your own website. Write your own blog. Get out ahead of the pack. Set the tone.

If you are in a positon where you might be interviwed, take the time to prepare yourself and put your best self out there. Treat all with diginity and respect. Leave the interview space better than you found it.

More on this in the days ahead.

Have a great weekend!

My Meeting with Coach Wooden

The date was November 11, 2002. The place, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Marina Del Rey, CA.

 

Then Atlanta Hawks GM Pete Babcock arranged a meeting for the team with Coach John Wooden.

 

The entire traveling party made its way to a small banquet room, and in came Coach Wooden. He sat with us for over an hour. He knew our coach, Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkins very well. (How incredible to have two men in the same room who were selected as Hall of Famers as both players AND coaches.) But for many of us, we were stangers.

 

That did not matter to Coach Wooden. He spoke to us like we were an extension of his UCLA teams, reviewing his Pyramid of Success. He stressed conditioning (physical, mental, moral), skill (do it quickly), and team spirit (be considerate of others on and off the court).

 

Coach spoke of how winning was a by product of all of those characteristics. He stressed how the game was OFF the ball, both offensively and defensively. I was taking notes as fast as I could write.

 

We were all mesmorized. At the end, coach Wooden took the time to autograph each person’s copy of his book, "Wooden. A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court".

 

“For Bob. Best wishes John Wooden.”

 

An unforgettable moment in time that I will take with me forever.

What It Is All About

Thanks to TJ Hanson for the tip on this story!

Duke University Graduate Parker Goyer Dreams Big, Delivers

Thursday, Dec. 4th 2008 8:24

All great journeys start with a dream - Osborn Earl “Ozzie” Smith.

It is likely that at every high school or college graduation ceremony, at some point in time, at least one of the speakers will insist that the secret to a life of fulfillment is to remain true to one’s dreams.

Yet, at the same time, it is also likely that a look towards the audience would reveal at least one adult with a cynical eye dismissing such blatant optimism in a most scornful manner.

Fortunately, however, there are still some students who not only listen to the speaker’s message of hope, they take it upon themselves to test the theory.

The Desire to Make a Difference
When asked about her involvement in Division I athletics at a high-profile school, Parker Goyer could point to many key lessons from the world of sports: persistence, work ethic, setting goals, and overcoming setbacks. She also could point to the year-round commitment necessary to compete at such a high level and the subsequent time constraints that participation had on her ability to utilize these important skills while being of service to others.

But the year-round commitment to school and to athletics left Goyer little opportunity to travel abroad or to partake in community service. For the 2007 graduate of Duke University, the latter was a big issue.

Inspired by the likes of Wendy Kopp, the founder and CEO of Teach for America and Greg Mortenson, a one-time mountain climber who has dedicated his life to building schools in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Goyer chafed at the lack of opportunities student-athletes had to be of service to others.

Recognizing that there had to be other collegians with similar sentiments, Goyer came up with a bold plan, one that would allow student-athletes to utilize their skills and talents to help serve young people in countries less-developed than her own.

Coach for College
Now in her first year at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Goyer conceived of the “Coach for College” program while visiting Vietnam and Belize the summer following her graduation. While visiting those countries, Goyer saw first hand an underdeveloped educational system and countless young people who simply did not have a cadre of role models to help lead them.

The former Duke tennis player saw an opportunity, a true win-win in the proverbial sense. If she could create a program that would allow American student athletes to put their athletic lessons to work in real life settings, the youngsters in some of the world’s poorer countries would not only have access to some key role models, those youngsters would have the chance to learn some valuable skills as well.

“A major guiding principle of the Coach for College program is that student-athletes have great traits they develop through sports,” explains Goyer. “But they don’t always apply these traits which they perfect on the playing field in other settings.”

“I wanted American student-athletes to realize that, by virtue of being highly-skilled sports players in some of the best higher education institutions in the world, they have tremendous power to make a difference.”

Program Launched in Summer of 2008
With a goal of utilizing sports to teach key life lessons, Goyer envisioned a group of college athletes giving up some of their summer time to help the youngsters in underdeveloped countries learn “critical thinking skills” and promote “excitement about academics.” While the need for funds was significant and the task of raising half-a-million dollars a daunting one, the 23-year-old never doubted the worthiness of her concept.

“A lot of people were skeptical at first and thought that I was too young, that this was too big of an idea, and didn’t know if I could pull it off,” reveals Goyer. “I think I was able to succeed by setting concrete goals, identifying key supporters early on, and using their advice and support to make steady progress towards my goals, one step at a time.”

Adding to her belief in the program concept itself, the idea of teaching life lessons through the world of sports, Goyer found herself drawing on the lessons she had taken from being a competitive athlete.

“Setting up the Coach for College program reinforced the value of sports in transmitting key life skills. I found myself drawing upon some of the same skills – persistence, work ethic, setting goals, overcoming setbacks, etc. — that I had used to make progress as a tennis player.”

Putting her organizational, goal-setting and perseverance skills to the test, Goyer secured more than $480,000 to fund the first two years of her concept. The monies came from two Atlantic Coast Conference rival colleges, Duke and the University of North Carolina, as well as the National Collegiate Athletics Association, the U.S. State Department, and a number of other individual and corporate donors.

With funding secured, this past summer student-athletes from both Duke and UNC made their way to rural Vietnam for the first ever “Coach for College” sessions. In addition, bilingual students from Can Tho University also led the training that involved the games of badminton, basketball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball.

A key component of the program included the building of a five-in-one sports court, with lines for the sports that would be taught in the program. Constructed on the grounds of the middle school, local workers built it using money from the funds Goyer had raised. The permanent construction meant that the Vietnamese children could continue, during their school year, to play the sports they had been introduced to by the Coach for College program that summer.

Working alongside their Vietnamese counterparts, the American student-athletes conducted two three-week units featuring a number of sports clinics and classroom lessons to 200 children ages 11-15. The group also managed to blend in Vietnamese high school students who benefited from the program but in turn served as next step role models for the younger children.

The basic lessons taught within the sports clinics were reinforced by academic offerings that featured the application of sports to Health/Biology, Physics, English, Leadership, and Education/Psychology. The program, free to interested children, provided a wealth of prizes/gifts based upon outcomes in team-based sports and academic competitions as well as each student’s completion of the various academic modules.

The Translatable Goals of Athletics
Wise beyond her years, Goyer created a program that offered lessons for both groups, the American students who accompanied her and the youngsters in Vietnam that participated in the clinics. Both groups saw first hand that teamwork, sacrifice, hard work, and determination often form the basis for success in many other settings.

“The overarching idea is that skills like perseverance, determination, setting and achieving goals, and overcoming setbacks, all of which can be learned through sports, are the keys to success in education as well,” notes Goyer. But as for the lessons for her fellow athletes, the Coach for College founder was unequivocal as to what came first for her.

“Personally, my primary goal is to help the middle school youth, and I intended the benefits to the coaches, both the American student-athletes and Vietnamese college students, to come as a natural by-product of their participation in the program.”

Still, Goyer attempted to work on the highest plane imaginable. More than simply providing Vietnamese youngsters with a cadre of role models, Goyer sought to inspire these 11-15-year-olds to consider higher education. To further that notion, the Coach for College concluded every daily camp session with a 30 minute class on the topic.

Following One’s Dream
Perhaps most importantly, the goal-setting Duke graduate has established other possible plateaus for her concept. Her vision is to see the program “partner with professional athletes” as well as “sports-related companies such as Nike.”

In addition, Goyer is set to invite other “universities which are athletic rivals to sponsor Coach for College programs at new sites.” The plan includes “utilizing the existing conference structure present in intercollegiate athletics” with the idea that each conference could perhaps sponsor a program in one particular region of the globe.

Once upon a time, Division I student-athletes may have had little to no chance to travel abroad or engage in meaningful service to others. But thanks to one young woman with a vision and a thorough understanding of the lessons that athletics can offer, student-athletes with a service mind set now have a concrete model to follow.

Editors Note: On Saturday, November 22nd, Parker Goyer was one of 32 Americans selected for a Rhodes Scholarship. Valued at $50,000 per year of study, the scholarship will enable the Coach for College (CfC) founder to study comparative international education at Oxford. Her hope is to learn more about the different education systems, academic curricula, and personnel of different countries to determine which ones will provide the best fit for the CfC program moving forward.

Tyler and the NBA

His basketball pedigree is unquestioned.

So is his work ethic, his drive, skill, determination, will to win, and he’s blessed with a motor that will not quit.

So why isn’t North Carolina’s reigning National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough NOT considered a slam dunk top-tier lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft?

It’s a question that has dogged the Tar Heels big man for the past two seasons.

The argument goes, ‘great college player, but might not make it as a pro’.

I put that question to the Hawks’ assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel Dave Pendergraft.

“He’ll (Hansbrough) be taken later than he should, only because so many people have focused on his deficiencies rather than what he can do,” Dave told me. “But, Bob, he can play. I can see him playing 10-12 years in the league and being a starter at least half of those years.”

“Tyler may never be an NBA all-star, but he is one of the few players in this draft that could immediately make a bad team better.”

I’ve had the pleasure of broadcasting Hansbrough’s games through his career and have marveled at his incredible energy. How that will play out over an 82-game NBA grind is certainly open to conjecture.

I always felt like I was watching the next Dave Cowens when I see Hansbrough play.

“I don’t like to compare eras, but, yea, I can see the comparisons to Dave,” Pendergraft added. “I think he’ll be a little more like Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao, but with a better offensive game.”

While we were on the subject of his college scouting, I asked Dave which players have caught his eye.

“I really like Jeremy Pargo (Gonzaga’s 6-2 senior guard). He’s hasn’t been mentioned a lot yet, but he’ll be in the lottery.  I also like Evan Turner a lot (Ohio State’s 6-7 two-guard, who dropped 28 on Notre Dame in a 67-62 Buckeye win in December). Those two names will be moving up on everyone’s draft board.”

Nothing better than talking hoops with my man Dave!

PHOTO: mrtarheel.com

Never, Ever

It was incredibly exciting. A double-overtime thriller at the Smith Center. Yet, when the finally horn sounded, we all said the same thing.

They will never win in Chapel Hill.

The Clemson Tigers blew a game Sunday night that confirms the above statement. Clemson held a 11-point lead with less than four minutes remaining and still managed to lose in Chapel Hill for the 53^{rd consecutive time without victory.}

All you needed to see was the body language. North Carolina knew it would win. Clemson knew it would not. It was only a matter of time. And when Clemson could not get off a game-winning shot in the final seconds of regulation, the feeling going into each overtime was not that Carolina would win, but by how many.

Add the fact that Clemson is also the worst free throw shooting team in the country (1-7???) it’s a wonder they were able to build such a tremendous advantage on the road.

I, for one, was hoping the streak would end.

I don’t like long streaks like this, losing streaks and games played streaks. They seem to take on a life of their own, and what does it really mean, anyway? These kids that played their hearts out for Clemson Sunday night had nothing to do with all those losses. Yet, they carried the weight of history with them.

Many a night, I broadcast the Clemson at UNC game, and it seemed that every game ended the same, with Carolina winning by an average score of 83-58! If memory serves, I called five Clemson at UNC games in the streak.

I hereby put in to call next year’s game!

You have to be impressed with the way Duke has been playing. A great win over Carolina on the road, followed by a string second half in taking care of Boston College, the Devils now have the inside track to home court advantage in the NCAA Tournament. No the games won’t be played at Cameron Indoor, but for Duke to get games in Raleigh and Charlotte would be plenty of advantage for Duke….Maryland is coming on strong. When James Gist plays like a superstar, the Terps emerge as a elite-team….why would I not be surprised to see Bobby Knight take over at LSU soon?....I’ll tell you another team that is coming on strong: Kentucky. They could be the sleeper come SEC Tournament time.

The Hawks hit the all-star break this week, staring at a Western Conference trip that will be as tough as any in recent years. At Lakers, Sacramento, Golden State, Utah and San Antonio is a rugged five-games-in-seven-days stretch. But even if the Hawks lose all five, they’ll still be in a position to clinch a playoff berth in the East with a month and a half to play. The way its going, 10-games under .500 will be good enough to make the playoffs in the East. And look at what is happening in the West. Potentially, a 50-win team could miss the playoffs.

The Best of the Best

The Major League Baseball all-star game has been here. Couple of times in fact. The NBA all-stars were here a few years ago.
And this weekend, we roll out the red carpet and the Southern hospitality for hockey world.
Welcome. We’re glad you’re here.
We missed you in ’05. That horrible year-lost postponed the party, but we’re ready and look forward to watching the best of the best.
The 2007 NHL All-Star weekend is sure to be great one. Activities are planned to touch as many fans as possible, old and new, youngsters and veterans.
Hockey is still sort of a new toy with us. We got a taste of the playoffs and what it meant last spring. We’ll be ready, next time.
And to have Philips Arena host this weekend as the hockey world descends upon Atlanta is a proud moment, indeed.
And we couldn’t be happier for our guys, Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. It’s the second All-Star nod for Kovalchuk, who led all players in voting the for 2004 game.
This will be Hossa’s fifth All-Star appearance, following selections in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2007. He missed the 2004 game due to injury.
Hossa is a pro’s pro, coming from one of the world’s top hockey families. But if you’ll allow us a bit of bragging, we think Ilya is really something special. We know he leads the league in goals, but folks, he’s Baryshnikov on skates.
Often, Kovy is seen at Hawks games. Did you know there is a little basketball in his blood?
Ilya’s dad, Valeri, played for the Soviet national basketball team.
By the time he was 3, Ilya was on his dad’s shoulder as he went to the gym. The two would do simple stretching exercises and coordination drills. But Valeri also taught his son the value of a positive mental approach in sports.
"My father never pushed me into one sport. He let me play basketball, soccer and street hockey," Kovalchuk said with a smile while recalling his younger days. "But I’ll never forget one day, when I was 5, he got this big smile on his face when I was playing street hockey with my friends. I think he saw that I was pretty good. The next day ... he bought me a pair of skates."
Valeri Kovalchuk also showed his son the right way to train and develop as a hockey player.
"The first thing he taught me was how important it was to shoot the puck accurately," Kovalchuk recalled, adding that his dad put up four targets on the side of their house – one at each corner of what would be a makeshift net. "I would practice for hours and hours. It was always wrist shots and snap shots. No slap shots, because sticks were too expensive … and I was afraid if I broke one we wouldn’t be able to buy new ones.
"I remember my dad coaching me back then. He told me, ‘It’s better to miss the net than hit the goalie.’ He was right. Maybe that’s why I can pick the corners so well now."
I try to make every Thrashers home game that I can. I wait for #17 to hit the ice and watch him weave his magic. How special it would be to see him light the lamp in the All-Star game in his adopted hometown of Atlanta. I’ll be watching Sunday, as soon as the Hawks are done in Portland.
And to the hockey world, welcome to Atlanta.
NHL.com contributed to this report.

All Great Leaders are Readers

OK, troops, how are those New Year’s Resolutions coming?
Well, all righty then! Let’s hit that re-start button!
One of the great people in sports and education is Dr. Paul Schempp from UGA’s Sports Instruction Research Laboratory.
Paul was kind enough to send along his study of readings recommended by expert coaches.
One distinguishing characteristic propelling experts to consistently superior performance is their extensive knowledge. One source often identified by experts as fundamental to their knowledge base is reading. Paul has done us the favor of asking coaches to identify the books that the great coaching leaders would recommend to beginning coaches.
I can think of no better way to get 2008 started than by going out and getting these books to start your own high performance library.
392 coaches from 29 different sports were sent letters explaining the study. 107 coaches from 17 sports responded. The participants recommended 156 authors and 177 book titles.
With Paul’s permission, here are the Top 5:

1. The Winner Within. Pat Riley, 1993. New York: Putnam’s Sons.
2. Wooden, A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court. John Wooden and Steve Jamison, 1997. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books.
3. Search for the Perfect Swing, The Proven Scientific Approach to Fundamentally Improving Your Game. Alistair Cochran and John Stobbs. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books.
4. My Personal Best, Life Lessons from an All-American Journey. John Wooden and Steve Jamison, 2004. new York: McGraw-Hill.
5. Season of Life, A Football Star, A Boy, A Journey to Manhood. Jeffrey Marx. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Isn’t it interesting that three of the top five books are authored by basketball coaches? And Paul notes in his research that the authors most frequently identified were Wooden, Riley, and Dean Smith.
Marx, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, wrote A Football Star to chronicle the work of Joe Ehrmann, the former Baltimore Colt, and his teaching of life lessons through football at Gilman High School in Maryland.

Dr. Schempp will present these findings later this month in Japan at a Sport Science Conference. The entire reading list of 177 book titles would keep you going for years. Exceptional material.

My goal for 2008 is the same as 2007—a book a week, minimum of 52. I’ve got my first one done, working on number two. Paul has given us five must-reads!