@MandyAntoniacci of Inc. magazine provides some inspirational quotes as the NFL opening weekend kicks off on Sunday.
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Category Archives: Business Leadership
Morning Discussion on a Company’s Culture
I had conversation with a VP of Sales for an prestigious New England company this morning.
The individual cited the following reasons for not retaining or hiring individuals in the company:
- Didn’t have the right personality
- Not mature enough
- Didn’t fit the company’s culture
- Were not able to get the job done without daily supervision/Different mindset
This is something to think about when hiring an assistant or if you are looking for your next coaching position/career…do you fit the culture?
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Michael Franzese Interview Excerpts (8-10-16)
Here are some business tips from Michael Franzese a former mob boss who reformed his life and is now an author, speaker and business leader. I have read Mr. Franzese’s book “Blood Convenant” and also heard him speak when I was an Assistant at Clarion University of PA in the Fall of 2011.
Here is a snippet of Franzese’s interview on the Jim Rome Show with guest host Marc James from August 10th, 2016: http://jimrome.com/2016/08/10/8102016-marc-james-in-the-jungle/
“Business is business. Whether you’re doing it on the street or you’re doing it legitimately, there are still certain business practices that you have to put into play.”
“Honestly, I don’t believe I was a brilliant business guy. There were guys out there that were smarter than me. But there’s certain things that I was able to do to that kept me always ahead of the game. Number one, I was always able to find a good deal. I knew how to weed through the bad ones and find the right ones. At that point I knew how to surround myself with the right people to get the job done and then motivate them to do their best for me.”
“I came up with a slogan that always worked for me and is working for a lot of business people now that I speak to and that is ‘do what you do best and delegate the rest’ and just get the most out of the people you put in place.”
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Roy Williams – Hard Work – Chapter 13 “Philosophy” – Book Notes
Here are notes from “Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court” by Roy Williams with Tim Crothers:
Roy Williams Hard Work – Chpt 13 Philosophy Book Notes
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Advice on Your Vision
Here is some advice from Mark Cuban on ABC’s Shark Tank that reinforces, business leaders/CEO’s better know (see video clip):
- Your vision
- How to execute it your vision
- Be an expert in the field that you are in
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You Pick
Charlie Kim’s article “9 Differences Between Selfish and Selfless Leaders,” is a good cheat sheet you can use to identify which type of leader you are.
What was interesting to me was the notion of “instead of interviewing and evaluating the company, evaluate the manager who will be your leader.”
This is so critical in order for you program to be successful. A coach or business manager without the support of administration or ownership is doomed to fail.
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Death By Entitlement
No matter if you are involved with business, education or athletics, you must surround yourself and your organization with hard workers who have a realistic view on their strengths and weaknesses and those who understand that entitlement is root of failure an organizations demise.
I was thinking about this as I watched last night’s episode of “The Profit” which involved an entrepreneur’s son who felt that he was owed a 10% equity stake in the company for no particular reason. It reminded me of a similar situation that occurred in my coaching career.
I once had a player come in to speak with my coaching staff about how they “deserved to play”. Keep in mind, that this was a freshman who had no real recourse for this statement and in the coaches eyes was uncoachable, lacked certain on the court skills and was not invested in their teammates (or the program’s) ultimate success.
What was the thought process behind this statement?
I have an idea although it is most likely a mixture of factors and not just one lone piece. I imagine it is that this individual was spoiled/coddled by their parents (cruises, new car, etc.) and were never told “no” in any real sense. If I were to guess, they probably got “things” when the got an A on a paper or if they merely cleaned their room.
The expectation was that they got something, instead of just doing something their best or the right way because that’s how it should be done 100% of the time. Their reward was a material item, not self pride in knowing they did the job the right way.
I don’t want to make this solely about parenting, because I still believe that each individual has a choice to make regarding if they will have an elitist/entitled attitude or not. However, this type of parenting, surely doesn’t help the child.
Moreover, in athletics especially when players are used to winning, either because they play in small high school leagues with minimal competition or AAU teams that play in low brackets and simply are more talented, constant success creates a climate where hard work and constant improvement is not really that important. The mentality of “if I work hard we will win by 25 and if I don’t we will win by 15” eventually catches up to the student-athletes in athletics, education and life.
As one can imagine, I chuckled (on the inside) when I heard “I deserved to play” thought process. I was quick to point out that “nobody deserves to play and that this program is a meritocracy and I play those players who can help our team be successful. Not one minute more or one minute less.”
Coaches must be weary of having ANY players in their program that “deserve” minutes, to start, be the leading scored, etc. One leads to two, and two leads to three, and it becomes a vicious cycle.
As the head coach, I try to instill that nobody is bigger than the program by doing ALL OF THE LITTLE THINGS to show (not say!) that not even I am above the program. Carrying uniforms, gear, sweeping the gym floor, etc. are all “menial” tasks for some head coaches, but to me it shows my players that if I can do the daily tasks and pay attention to the details, they can too.
It’s about work and success not image and attitude.
Leaders must address this behavior immediately, especially if coaches are taking over a new program and did not get to build relationships with player(s) during the recruiting process. If the player(s) cannot change their mindset coaches will be doomed to DEATH BY ENTITLEMENT or coaches will have to remove them from the program.
This is the only way to lay the foundation for building a true championship culture.
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10 Reasons You’re Program Is Not Rich Yet
Money magazine’s Jocelyn Black Hodes’ article “10 Reasons You’re Not Rich Yet” is not only about financial worth but also can pertain to your organization or personal life.
Here is how each point can be interpreted for coaches:
#1 – You Spend Money Like You Are Already Rich – We all have budgets, so stay within yours or it may cost you (your job!) in the long run
#2 – You Don’t Have a Plan – What is your ultimate goal? You need to answer this question realistically so you can plan accordingly (recruiting, player development, fund raising, etc.)
#3 – You Don’t Have an Emergency Plan – What if someone gets sick? What if a player is injured? Who will step in and take over? Head coaches must have plans for these emergencies. Not only will they help their program get through this difficult time, but they will have strengthened their leadership skills and reputation.
#4 – You Started Late – If you don’t have a plan or solid philosophy, you better get one!
#5 – You’d Rather Complain Than Commit – There is nothing worse than having complainers around to infect others. Get rid of complainers and if it is you that is doing the complaining, you should ask yourself, “why do I coach?”
#6 – You Live For Today in Spite of Tomorrow – Always keep the future in mind. Just because you are on a winning streak now it will definitely come to an end. Prepare for rainy days by having a long-term vision of how you see the program in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, etc.
#7 – You’re a One Trick Investor – You must be versatile in your program. Give each member (players and coaches) the ability to work outside their comfort zone to expand their abilities and confidence.
#8 – You Don’t Automate – Use technology to your advantage: set schedules, reminders, call/facetime to build networking relationships, create your brand, etc.
#9 – You Have No Sense of Urgency – What time is better than now? Procrastination is the enemy of greatness. If there is something that you do not particularly like to do, then make sure it is a strength of someone else on your staff.
#10 – You’re Easily Influenced – As the leader of the program, you have to have a “filter.” Filter out the junk and keep the valuables. Be a 49er!
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The Case for…Chip Kelly – Melissa Jacobs
This recent Sports Illustrated article by Melissa Jacobs, makes a case for Chip Kelly being the right hire for the San Francisco 49ers. I think it is at least a logical argument for hiring a coach who seemed to not have the necessary personality to connect with his players during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Although having the necessary tactical skills are very important, nothing is as important as treating players with respect and getting to know them on a personal level, in my opinion. X’s and O’s can be learned, personality and caring can not.
Although the 49ers do need a whole system transformation in order to get the necessary production out of Colin Kaepernick, it will be interesting to see if Kelly can make the changes necessary or if the 49ers should have went with an “Unusual Hire” (see “Taking a (Calculated) Risk in Hiring”) to fill its head coaching vacancy
The Case for…Chip Kelly- Sports Illustrated – Jan. 25, 2016 – Melissa Jacobs
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Saban’s Culture Makes it a Smart Choice to Keep Kirby On
Tonight’s College Football Playoff National Championship features three college football head coaches: Alabama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
Smart is currently the Alabama Defensive Coordinator who was recently named Head Coach at the University of Georgia.
Due to college football’s schedule, Smart has had to assume both roles, as Saban has allowed him to remain on staff and finish Alabama’s run at their fourth national championship in seven years.
Clearly, Saban feels comfortable that Kirby will be ultra focused on getting his defense ready to the best of his ability, even though Saban knows Kirby will be dedicating some of his time to putting a staff together at Georgia and recruiting against Alabama and other SEC rivals.
Here are a few articles that give some perspective on Kirby’s unique situation:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14414965/what-kirby-smart-learn-dan-mullen-tom-herman
This dual role is interesting for me to fathom as a college basketball coach.
Due to the calendar/schedule, this is much more of a possibly in college football than college basketball. As a matter of fact, I have never heard of a team making a Final Four run with an Associate Head Coach/Assistant Coach who was already hired in another program, have you?
I think the sheer logistics on the coaching staff allow college football staff members to share some of the load of losing a coordinator or position coach. This would be much more difficult in my opinion on a college basketball staff because of 1) a small staff size and 2) the fact that in the tournament teams play Thursday/Saturday or Friday/Sunday on the first two weeks of the tournament. These back to back games would severely limit a coaches ability to do both jobs to the best of their ability.
Either way, the fact that Saban is allowing this shows the confidence he has in himself, his culture and Alabama as a brand.
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Expressions from the Hardwood 