Often we live life in a fog don’t we? Not quite sure the path we are on, but so busy we don’t have time to see it all clearly.
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
We’ve heard often: Join the movement. Attach yourself to this cause or that belief.
We wait for someone to step up. And jump on that wagon. We like it on facebook. Or we say I’ll pray for you. Or yeah, I will follow up on that service request. Or drop $20 on the online charity ad campaign. I did part… did I? At work we say, yeah I love core values, and wear blue every day. BUT ARE WE THE MOVEMENT!?
This week we will be challenging the Culture Club on Friday. To BE THE MOVEMENT. Be the change they want to see.
We don’t want you to simply be part of Drexel’s mission, we want you to BE THE MISSION. See the difference? You aren’t part of something bigger… you ARE the something bigger.
Don’t have a connection strong enough with your store leader? Let them know that. Talk to them, say Hey, you intimidate the crap out of me. Talk to me like a human dude.
So busy you don’t know where to turn? Hey, stand up and say, hey someone help me get organized. A little humility, stand up and say “I don’t know how to get unbusy, but I’m ready to start!”
Maybe you need more training. Are you waiting for it? Or are you the mission and grabbing someone and saying IS THERE A BETTER WAY, SHOW ME!?
Are you an enabler? Always fixing the same mistakes? Feels good right! Good to complain but really you enjoy the problems, that way you feel important? Or are YOU THE MOVEMENT of hey, never again… let’s fix this now with this person so we can finally move on.
I can’t tell you what MOVEMENT to lead. Each person on our team is different.
Emily Bestul on Friday was super jacked to stay late to finish up sales tax. I’m dead serious. Thank GOD for the Emily’s of the world. Sales tax? No thanks! I also know Emily well enough that I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t want my job either… See that IS BEING THE MOVEMENT!
WHAT MOVEMENT DO YOU WANT TO LEAD, TO START, TO LIVE YOUR FULL LIFE?
— Joel
Bonusinfo I read on a blog from jonandjosh.com…
“Like most people, I used to associate busy with important, successful, or influential. It’s politicians, CEOs, or Entrepreneurs that are busy, but that’s really not the case.
My fresh perspective on busy came when I heard this mysterious C.S. Lewis quote:
“Only lazy people are busy.”
What in the world does that mean? That’s what I was thinking the first time I heard it too. It means, that people who don’t get focused and control of their day will constantly be tossed by the demands of others, moving frantically from task to triviality. They drift like a tired ship at sea, battered by the waves of the urgent.”
Let’s say your life is like taking a sailboat across the ocean.
In calm waters, almost any boat, almost any captain, will go far.
When storms hit… you have a decision to make.
DRIFT OR LEAD.
In your life, you are a leader, there are people on your boat, your family, your co-workers, and the teams you lead.
They look to you. Often when storms hit, the leader shrugs and says “let’s see how this plays out”, and will, because of fear, lack of communication, lack of inspiration, will allow the boat to simply drift with the storm. They don’t know what to do, so they do nothing. Inactivity breeds more fear. Spinning and hitting one wave or another. Up and down, not going forward, maybe going sideways, but maybe even going backwards. Not really sure. Just drifting, up and down, up and down. Yet the storm rages. Maybe we will be ok, maybe we will hit a rock.
Hopefully, the winds calm on their own, and we go back going forward.
But sometimes, when we simply drift the boat throws us overboard and we drown or we have a slow leak and slowly you take everyone down with you. Or in most cases, nothing much happens, we just drift. Not going forward or back.
But the rare leaders, the best captains, LEAD AND GUIDE with enthusiasm and courage continually during storms. They might almost seem crazy. They don’t drift, they YELL FORWARD! They trust their boat, their team, and themselves. And with great guidance and help they steer their boat. It’s the best chance of success in a storm.
Anytime you get ready to confront anything in life, you and your team around you will be filled with “what ifs.” I believe that is the devil’s work. It is not reality. It will drive you crazy though if you allow it. And those “what ifs” … will make you look at the storm and simply say, let’s pull up anchors, bring in the sails, and just see what happens. Let’s drift for awhile and freeze in fear.
Or… or the amazing happens.
Team, the below DIRECTLY FROM A NORTHSAILS.COM.
on how to “Sail Through Storms”. Wow, how life can mirror what we need to do here at Drexel…
“Misery and Danger”
“Although everyone will remember it differently years later, a long, wet, cold sail through a storm can be miserable. As skipper, you need to make the best of it: watch over your crew, offer relief or help to those who need it, and speak a few words of encouragement to all. “This is miserable, but it will end.”
Take the time to marvel at the forces of nature, and at your ability to carry on in the midst of the storm. Few people get to experience the full fury of a storm. It may not be pleasant, but it is memorable.
While misery and discomfort can eventually lead to fatigue, diminished performance, and even danger, do not mistake one for the other. Distinguish in your own mind the difference between misery and danger. Don’t attempt a dangerous harbor entrance to escape misery; that would compromise the safety of the boat and crew, just to avoid a little discomfort.”
DON’T ATTEMPT TO DRIFT. OR HIDE TO ESCAPE MISERY TO AVOID A LITTLE DISCOMFORT. LEAD BOLDLY MY FRIENDS!
I BELIEVE IN BEING STRONG WHEN EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING WRONG. – Audrey Hepburn
As you gather your thoughts I think it is important to constantly pick one or two reminders, mantras if you will that you say all the time to yourself to pump yourself up. And keep you on task.
These change over time. You are not the same person when you were 15, or even 3 months ago. The things in your life around you change too, so you must constantly adapt your mind to your surroundings.
I feel these sayings keep you focused, grounded, motivated, and make for great changes.
I’ve used one recently… good!… discipline equals freedom… control the controllables, influence don’t control, surrender the outcome…and dozens more thru the years. Sometimes they resurface in my brain, sometimes they don’t.
Currently here are my two. I almost become obsessed with them as I go through this process in my brain. Over and over every day I repeat. I am not saying that is healthy or normal, but it is what I do… and I do think it helps me so maybe it will help you.
It’s one of the reasons to read… to find nuggets like this on your journey.
1. “It’s easy to confuse a lot of activity with a purposeful life.” – Bob Goff
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the workers to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“COACHING BASKETBALL SUCCESSFULLY” by Morgan Wooten, one of the most acclaimed high school coaches of all time.
(Hey I need all the help I can get. Just recently Al Waldschmidt and a few weeks later Craig Johnson coached vs me and both went on to crush my soul by about 30 points… and that was being kind… moving on… )
He has 4 objectives for each team, each year. These never change. How true these are for Drexel and life as well.
Play Hard.
Play Smart.
Play Together.
Have Fun.
These week just work on these four.
How a team approaches “the game” makes all the difference in the world.
Give it your all. Do it wisely. Work as a team. Win or lose, no matter the conflict, HAVE FUN.
Sounds like it’s gonna be a great week if we all do that.
This past weekend I noticed my shrubs were overgrown. I thought to myself, uh, they ain’t that bad. But maybe they need just a little work. I almost just ignored them, as I’ve done over and over again. I got to work… I filled my 55 gallon garbage can 6 times! … the mission was complete.
Wow.
You see it all the time. An old home on Mainstreet is sold to a new owner. First thing they do… clean up the bushes. And wow, what a difference. The old owner was tied to the past of what the bushes used to look likee, or too “busy” to care, or simply couldn’t see the problem.
The whole time I am thinking. This is just like life. Things that we need to eliminate, tasks, people, material goods, waste, junk, clutter… yet walk past every day…and barely notice.
I seriously found 7 baseballs in the clutter. Perfectly good things, lost in the clutter. Boy that sure sounds like life sometimes…
Not actual picture of my house…
It was hard work. The bushes are now SMALLER. But BETTER. Less IS more.
What do you have to cut out of your life?
What are you walking past daily… that is growing out of control.
Last week a group of the top, the very Olympic Gold Champion top building suppliers in the nation visited us. In Brookfield. In Campbellsport. In Kiel. Held meetings at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. There were from all over the country. Maine. Oregon. Vermont. Michigan.
They took pictures. Asked questions. Gave us feedback. I will share the very feedback they gave to us… I won’t summarize, I will use their words. And often as we teach and open our doors, we also learn.
They are GOLD champions, each of them. So being tweaked in your and their sport from a gold medal winner is intimidating, humbling, and inspiring!
Here we go and grow!
Jay, Arnold Lumber, Boston
Impressive. Company Culture. Supply Happiness motto was everyone. Really needs paving! Could do a better job on safety.
Ken Kuiken, Kuiken Lumber New Jersey
Difference in their people. They certainly walk the walk. The size of their location both good (for storage/staging) and bad (overload of inventory). Too much paper. I love the start load packets.
Mark, Hancock Lumber Maine
Core Values. The way they celebrate and embrace them and display them.
Paul, Hancock Lumber Maine
Obviously the culture and the people we met. So many great people. Sweep the shed for the downtown team. The intentional de-centralization of leadership. I suggest you centralize the accounts payable.
Steve, Parr Lumber Oregon
The obvious cleanliness. That they are so much more than a lumberyard. Hardware outside and not inside. Paving is needed. Accounts payable centralized. Accounts receivable at each location for the intimacy of the contractor relationship.
Mike, Parr Lumber Oregon
Cleanliness. Work on Safety.
Matt, Arnold Lumber Rhode Island
The running theme, the language displayed and used “leaders”, “downtown”, “team members” shows you care. Safety.
Dave, Arnold
The attention to little things. Wearing a seat belt on a forklift is a safety DISCIPLINE.
Alison, Arnold
48 hour solution resolution is awesome. 1% for inside sales people, is an incredible tie in and shows team work. The inviting counter top, counter set ups.
Tom, Kuiken, New Jersey
48 hour solution resolution is such a great tool. The engagement with each other and us. The sense of urgency that was happening. You could tell they were on mission to do something. The focus on all categories was great. Safety. Staging of loads was impressive.
Gary, TW Perry
The teamwork of account managers and their team. Focused on “what we do and why we do it.” The flat screens for communication.
Dana, Shepley Wood Products, Massachusetts
That we dedicate a full week to State of Happiness to educate all on what’s going on. Proud of our spaces. The food truck is so unique and special. Doing it right!
Mike, Zeeland Lumber, Michigan
Culture in our language.
Rob, Zeeland
Clean. Clean. Clean. Loved hearing about our “shu”.
Shane, Zeeland
Visual marketing was fantastic. Couldn’t find a band on the ground… do we use bands? 😉 Our team’s names on the website. Tangibly different and bettter.
Mark, Jackson
Consistency of looks from location to location, best practices systems in place. Improve shipping areas.
Nick Kuiken, Kuiken Bros
Came in skeptical of the coffee shop but it does add to our culture, it is “what we do and what we are.” Friendly staff, blue door people were very happy.
Ruth, Leader of Group
Departure from the norm. Layout and space, could utilize even better.
Safety. On Time. In Full is the key to supply happiness… didn’t see the tie in.
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Still reading? THANKS!
How do we measure up with the champs? About average. Average margin. Average sales. Average sales per salesperson, average sales per team member. Quite average. Growth per year. Average.
I love average. ROOM TO GROW. GOOD.
HOPE THEY ALL KNOW WE DON’T PLAN ON BEING AVERAGE LONG
I love basketball, although I am only a youth coach, got about 150 games under my belt, and honestly my record over almost 10 years is probably less than 50% of the time our team wins…not great.
Also my love for basketball… is complicated, I don’t win much and the culture of my hometown team is less then ideal. We haven’t had a winning season in more than 30 years. I’m not kidding.
Yet, I’ve read a lot of books, John Wooden, Urban Meyer, Brian McCormick, Jon Gordon, Tim Tebow, are just a few of my favorites. I’ve read “all” the blog articles on coaching sports, especially basketball. I’ve had a lot of beers over this subject. Texts, e-mails… conversations…
So, so this is my manifesto of how to build a basketball program.
Why me? You are probably thinking, you arrogant ass… how dare you…
But I’m like… Why not? I’m inspired to write it, so write this I must. I may not be 100% qualified, but perhaps my knowledge is qualified. I guess that is always up for debate. However these principles I am confident will ALWAYS work when followed and believed in from the top down. Yes, Always.
A basketball town is not made based on your geography, “We are not a basketball town…” This isn’t a GPS thing, this is a program thing.
Can one unique, blessed, inspired coach that has a commitment to excellence and a microscope on the current team as well as the telescope on the future turn it around? Of course. Obviously. But friends, that is like hoping for a winning lottery ticket. “What we really need is a person with tons of leadership skills, CEO skills, communications skills, and enough basketball knowledge to build a library on his skills all wrapped around a commitment on the short term, but also an eye for decades to build this program the right way. The kids and parents must all love her/him as well. That person.” Ok… it MIGHT HAPPEN but let’s be real would THAT PERSON come to OUR TOWN?… probably NOT!
So what? There is still a path…the 10 commandments of program development. Maybe this post helps us, if not us, maybe some other program. A great program is successful, both in wins, but also in making better people! A person proud of their school, their program for instance is NOT GOING TO SHOOT UP THE SCHOOL. An extreme example for sure, but yet, you are reading this because I assume you agree… sports can and should change the world for the better when done right!
Better people, better basketball players.
Here’s my manifesto. I’m not super skilled to say this is the right path, I have no degree in this… but I love culture, I love sports… in a way I’ve been thinking and learning about writing this manifesto my whole life… so here we go… it’s a lot of words, but behind it is a lot heart.
1. Mission & Values
What do you want to be known for. What will you never compromise on?
– hard work – body language – self sacrifice – commitment… just some of the words when thinking about this. You will have to live by this.
Then it makes your hard decisions easy…
If a Senior player doesn’t live up to this… cut him and move the freshman up… tough decisions like that!
Words impact so much. The way we say things. Be careful always the words we choose.
2. CULTURE IS EVERYTHING
Culture feeds everything. Everything. Every conversation. Every touch point. Culture must and always starts at the top. The example they set. Culture of excellence. Commitment. Fun. It is the what around your why (values and mission.) The leader sets the tone, the rest follow that. Each time out. The way we dress. The way we talk. End of the year banquet. Summer pep talk. Every thing.
3. Youth Program are your ROOTS.
Basketball is a skill. Too many programs forget that. It is similar to a musical instrument. You must train, practice… all years. You will hear often teams are made in the winter, players made in the offseason. A lack of skill development might work in football, or track, but not in a skilled sport, where thousands of reps are needed for efficiency.
8 year olds, 10 year olds, that’s the magical years. A young tree is easy to bend, the older the tree, the harder to mold.
So how does that work?
Kids, that’s what they are, just kids, must…
Love the game. So learning sessions, (never practices, culture, words are powerful) must be fun. If they are fun. If kids love the game… Players WILL practice on their own. Skills!
Linkage. Each year should build off last year so coaches don’t have to waste time going over the same things and two worst cases scenarios happen: confuse the kids with too many plays and waste time going over new systems each year. Each year builds off last year until the crowning moment varsity year. The varsity offense just has more wrinkles. It’s still the same basic frame work they ran in 3rd grade!
Time. Gym space will always be a premium. Each minute at every level must be scripted. Each volunteer coach means well, but I don’t expect them to do this. The youth director …as directed by the varsity coaches (it ALWAYS STARTS FROM THE TOP)… must delegate going to learning sessions to another motivated volunteer, to HELP not control learning sessions.
Learning sessions should focus on:
No lines. Use soccer style coaching, not 1950s style basketball coaching. Dribble, Shoot. Fundamentals. Small sided games. Anything under 4th grade should be 9′ hoops if possible.
Lots of scrimmaging, under coaching guidance! The playing is critical. To learn basketball is jazz music with basic principles, yet creativity, but an active coach, that is always teaching as they go. 3 vs 3. 2 vs 2. 1 vs 1. 5 vs 4.
Also situational, down 6, up 1… etc.
90 minute practice. 45 must be on skills. 30 must be small sided games/scrimmaging. Only 15 miutes on x’s and o’s. So we need to keep it simple!
If the varsity program changes systems based talent use the below. However, If they run a drive and dish, then run that, if they always press, do that… etc!
5 out motion offense, with RULES, not spots! No set plays, besides maybe 2 for when offense bogs down.
Rules:
Offense
Spacing
Attack to score or pass
Pass & cut
Defense
Man 2 Man Defense, again Rules, not spots:
Protect the hoop
Stop the ball
You man ball (clock)
Pregame warmups, jump ball, and most importantly inbound plays should be taught by learning session director to all coaches. Why? TIME. Let the coaches worry about skill development, take the “heavy lifting” off their shoulders. It’s just efficiency. Teach the box inbound, a stack with a drop down, and side teach rocket, and maybe “hail mary.” Attack on inbounds. Later on add a detail. Keep it simple but effective, a well run inbound play leads to success as well up to 60% of scoring can come off of this.
And yes, they should run more complex BUT SIMILAR PLAYS at the varsity level. Imagine, you take a 4th grader to a varsity game, you can say…see that is the play we run! How exciting! Also, it’s a mind thing scientifically. Let’s say it’s a play to win conference, let’s say you ran a component of that since 4th grade, instead of a play you learned two days ago…. odds of you running it 100% effectively, very high!
The learning session director does a unit pre-season, but more importantly sacrificies their time to go to learning sessions at all levels regularly. Generally a volunteer coach will start to obsess about winning and run a 2-3 zone, and a double scree for the best player on offense, work on x’s and o’s and not fundamentals (I have been there!) That does get WINS, but does NOT develop a player.
Remember this is important, promote a youth LEARNING SESSION director. The youth director CAN NOT DO BOTH. They are busy with money, schedules, parent e-mails, equipment, gym schedules and probably have their own team(s) to coach. A learning session director is in charge of learning sessions at all levels and works directly year round with the varsity coach or someone on their staff.
Varsity coach and the culture must be OBSESSSED with the linkage from each year. Youth night, mentor leader program, shirts, using social media, the local news, anything, anything to get people at the games, make basketball cool in your town (if it’s cool and they like it… they will practice on their own, and your best athletes in town will make it a focus.) Jersey night. Halftime recognition, and most importantly touches. The varsity coaches need to know all the kids that play hoops in town, treat them as ONE TEAM… sounds easy and it is and isn’t. It’s a commitment. Pack the gym however you can!
You want basketball players, not kids that play basketball. To do that, they must see leaders in the program they look up to older then them, they must see a path to greatness, they must believe it is cool and fun. They want to be a rock star on the court… show them the path!
Grow your roots, to see the fruit.
4. Shoot. Dribble. Man 2 man D principles. Pass and Cut.
If you can shoot the lights out. Control the ball. Play team man 2 man defense, press like men on fire… and simply pass and cut effectively, you will win lots of games. So we must constantly work on all of that. No one ever had too many good shooter and good dribblers. Shooting can overcome a lack of height/speed.
5. Summer.
I love kids that play 4 sports and in our small town it is possible. But if you play the trombone there is no “trombone season” is there? Of course not! Parents and kids in the community must understand this. A commitment must be there to develop skills. This is the only place to actually get better. Fundamentally strong teams can win with any combinations of plays. It has to stay fun and it has to stay competitive. If the culture breeds fun, a growth mindset, and builds a path, they will love basketball if they love basketball they will NATURALLY play in the summer. It won’t be hard… it will be easy. Remember culture is everything! Shoot. Dribble.
6. Linkage
Like the New Zealand Blacks, our players have to know this is an honor. You build that by traditions that are part of your culture. Jersey night. End of the year program. Leadership training. Anything that connects the future to the past and the past to the future. It is about the program and maintaining excellence. They are playing for more than them. Or even their year. They play for EVERYONE, the past the future, the community. Pride.
7. Work together.
No varsity coach staff can do it all. No youth director can do it all. Write down volunteer roles and duties. Then delegate and hold them accountable. A parent only has a few kids, sometimes just one. They are 100% in… but only a few years. Don’t make them “invent the wheel” more like plug and play! Have them become a defined piece of the puzzle, in writing for them to fill! Then lead them starting with… CULTURE TRAINING AND TRADITIONS AND LINKAGE!
8. Care more.
Do you know all the kids on your varsity team? Of course… How about on the 8th grade team, how about the 4th grade team? How about your assistant coaches, do they know all the kids in the program? And do you know their names and parents as well? Simply care more. Every one plays a huge role. It’s our job to know EVERYBODY!
9. “All in”
Youth program must be in total sync with varsity program.
Players can and should be cut if they don’t buy in… including summer programs, body language, traditions. Don’t be afraid to play freshman! Find your best 12. I can’t think of one successful program that plays juniors and seniors just because they show up. That’s not near enough, the good news is you will already know this before… since we know all the players early on, and communication, summer programs, and all in atmosphere, it will be obvious to everyone in the basketball community who EARNED a varsity spot!
Top 10 varsity. Next 10 jv1. Next 10 jv2. By skill, not by age or position. By skill.
Remember those first years, coach K, John Wooden, Bob Knight were not immediately successful.
Carving the path is tougher than walking down the path. But it must be done! Celebrate any win culturally or in a real game like the sun rose. Early wins celebrated, at anything, are key!
10. ACCOUNTABILITY
This is the best part!
The home stretch!
The 10th commandment.
Because of the 9 steps in this framework, anyone that deviates from this gets called out, educated, trained to follow them. If they don’t follow them… they are asked to leave the program. Not emotional. Not hard even. It’s just not in the program’s best interest.
Head coach doesn’t take an interest in the youth sports program? Ask for his resignation.
Youth director doesn’t follow the traditions? Tell him the reasons why… if that doesn’t work… see ya.
Parent, doesn’t seem it necessary to be a good fan, and berates coaches and refs. See ya.
A high school kid doesn’t want to work in the summers… no problem enjoy the beach and time OFF THE COURT during the season.
EVERYONE MUST HOLD EVERYONE ELSE ACCOUNTABLE!
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Summary
Write down your mission and values. Let everyone know what they are.
Culture is everything.
Grow the roots, the fruits will come. Always grow the roots.
IT HELPS BUT YOU DON’T NEED DIVISION 1 PLAYERS TO BE A COMPETITIVE PROGRAM YEAR AFTER YEAR!
Do NOT COMPROMISE. DO NOT SETTLE. DEMAND EXCELLENCE. OVER COMMUNICATE. AND GET IT DONE. BEING SUCCESSFUL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR ZIP CODE! YOU MUST BELIEVE IT IS POSSIBLE, AND GET OTHERS TO BELIEVE AS WELL!
ACCOUNTABILITY! IS A MUST! TALK DIRECT, FAST, WORK TOGETHER!
These are the 10 commandments of a program culture. Nothing secret or magical about this. Just work the plan.
I can’t think of one sports program that has ever failed with these steps in place!
Joel Fleischman's Blog 