How Thinking Well Can Make A Difference!

Thinking well isn’t something you do just because it seems like a good approach to take, it’s a way a of life you embrace and put into practice as much as you possibly can.  When you develop a positive mindset and adopt it into your way of being, it’s not easily abandoned when things don’t go your way.

One of the sayings I often find myself sharing with people is that, “I don’t have bad days, I have bad moments.”  There are some days when I find myself replaying this in my head over and over again as a reminder that my day or life for that matter doesn’t have to be defined by a mishap or series of unfortunate events.  It totally recognizes that there will be points throughout the day when things will go terribly wrong and we’ll come up on the short end of the stick but they don’t have dominate our entire being.

I think of my good friend Rick Sovereign as an example of someone who wholeheartedly embraces this positive mindset.  You see, Rick has been battling prostate cancer for the last couple of years and there have been several moments when things didn’t look good and the thought was that he would be lost to friends and family was a reality but throughout it all Rick continues to persevere and sees each setback as a minor hiccup.

The difference for him has always been his mental approach to each and every situation.

Although he's a pro golfer by trade, he has a deep love for the game of basketball and he cares about the growth and development of the game particularly in young people.  In fact, he and I first connected almost a decade ago when our daughters who were the same age were trying out for the same basketball team.  Our similar passion for the game brought us together and  we’ve been friends ever since.

He has always been super positive and credits it to the way he thinks.  As I write this, Rick is in the hospital with what he believes is Stage 5 cancer despite the fact that the medical professionals say that there are only four stages and that doctors have told him his illness has advanced to the last one.

I once remember Rick sharing with me how he learned how to "think well" which is a concept he cultivated on the golf course.  There are times when we have to deviate from the “plan” and do something different based on the set of circumstances we're presented with.  Every round of golf doesn’t go according to plan and there are always times where you'll have to deviate because you've hit into a sand trap.  We all basically have to work with what we've been given.

This is what he did continually did over and over again.  He broke both of his arms several months back when he was routinely climbing out of bed one morning.  You see, the cancer had spread throughout his entire body and as a result his bones had started to deteriorate and become weak.  Hearing him recount that ordeal so matter of factly has always stayed with me.  He said as he gave a slight chuckle, "Well Audley, this is just one more obstacle to overcome".

I should point out that this isn't the case of someone who is denial and delusional of his situation.  He totally recognizes that his mortality is in question and the treatments he receives will not necessarily cure him but instead prolong his life.  But for Rick, that gives him the opportunity to continue to positively influence those around him and teach the concept of thinking well to overcome any obstacle whether it be on the green, the basketball court or in life.

I'm blessed to have learned these lessons directly from him with my own eyes and its my belief that anyone who comes in contact with Rick walks away feeling equally as blessed.

Click here to read an article written about my dear friend Rick.

See you on the court!

Follow me on Twitter @TheAudman
 

7 Reasons Why Exceptional Leaders Are Like Smart Phones!

If you've ever had to look for a new cell phone in the last little while then you could probably attest to the fact that there's no shortage of choices, features and options at our disposal.  Before you even determine what you're looking for, you've got to decide if you're in the market for a conventional cell phone or go the smart phone route.

Within each of those options, there's a bevy of styles and colours for you to choose from.  At the end of day, both phones perform the same basic function of making and receiving calls, however the additional options the smart phone offers makes it much more attractive and is considered the better of the two.  (This of course depends on who you speak with and what preferences they value.)

Smart phones offers a multitude of features and uses that go beyond just talking to people.  The ability to access the internet through any available wi-fi signal and download applications (or apps) broaden your horizon and make the experience of owning a smart phone much more practical.  For example,  you can use UrbanSpoon to help you decide what restaurant to go to, Tripit Travel Organizer to look after your travel plans or download WeatherBug to stay up on the latest weather forecasts plus so much more.

Owning a smart phone is the equivalent of having a mini computer in your back pocket.

So here's where the leadership comparison comes in.

As I see it, anyone can pretty much step into the role of leader and "do the job".  They might even able to produce results and even get others to follow them too.  That to me is a pretty basic function and is the equivalent to dialing out and making a telephone call.

An exceptional leader is much more like a smart phone.  They have a positive impact on the people around them and offer lots of options to make things easier to get the job done - they go beyond just making a simple call.  Their emphasis as a leader is more on "how" part of what they do instead of the "what" part.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Here are seven things exceptional leaders do to make themselves more like smart phones:

Communicate Instead of Direct
We too often forget that communication is a two sided street and listening is a big part of what makes the whole thing work. Exceptional leaders don't make a living barking directions or telling people what to do, they obtain information and understanding by listening and learning from the people around them.  Communication shouldn't be viewed as an extra task, it should be considered to be a necessary function.

Collaborate Instead of Control
Collaboration can best be described as a group of people coming together to achieve something collectively that they couldn't do individually.  Exceptional leaders recognize that the key to effective team work is giving people an opportunity to contribute their unique skills for the greater good of the team.


Proactive Instead of Reactive
The exceptional leader is always thinking three steps ahead. Working to master his/her own environment with the goal of avoiding problems before they arise. A reactive approach is dealing with fires as they happen while a proactive approach prevents them from occurring. 

Inspires Confidence Instead of Being Unsure
It was the 6th president of the United States, John Quincy Adams who once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." The starting point in being able to do this is understanding that it's impossible to inspire others to do anything if you're not confident yourself. To put it bluntly, if you're not doing anything that inspires those around, then you're not doing your job as a leader. 

Open Minded Instead of Opinionated
It's not outside of the realm of possibility for one to be open minded and opinionated at the exact same time.  People who open-minded are willing to listen to and consider the another person's point of view but still can be very opinionated on certain matters.  The key is that there has to be a willingness to let go of their own bias opinions and viewpoints.  Otherwise opinionated leaders risk not progressing themselves or their people. 

Empowers Instead of Delegates  
Empowering others requires much more effort, energy and time for exceptional leaders however, the end result in the long run leads to a more effective and productive group of followers that feel trusted.  By empowering their people, exceptional leaders are displaying both faith and confidence while constant delegation sends a clear message that they may not exist. 

Inclusive Instead of Egocentric
Being an exceptional leader solely can't be about yourself and your hopes, wishes and desires.  Including others in the decision making process where at all possible helps to strengthen the relationship and build cohesion with those around you.  When its all said and done, people want to know that they're thoughts and feelings were taken into consideration and not left out of the equation whether purposely or not.


__________________

The Main Po!nt
It's not impossible to lead people by taking the old traditional approach of leadership of direct and command and still get results however, the exceptional leaders who stand out are the ones that offer more, give more and continually ask of themselves, do I want to make a difference or am I content with just making a call?



See you on the court!

Follow me on Twitter @TheAudman

Building Future Leaders Starting With My Own!

As I was thinking through this blog post and laying out how I wanted it to look, the popular expression "charity begins at home" immediately came to mind.  It's one of those practical truthful phrases that just makes sense and no matter how long its been around and I thought it was an appropriate fit given the topic.

As a parent, I feel that one of my main responsibilities is to create positive memories that my children can fondly reflect back on when they become adults.  Much of our learnings and behaviour can be traced back to our childhood so starting with a firm foundation is a great first step to leading a life full of greatness.  In addition, I also feel parents should be equipping their children with the necessary skills needed to be the personal leaders they're capable of being.

It's my sincere desire, hope and wish that my own children are able to use their innate talents and abilities to positively impact other people as a way of making their personal imprint on society.  Through the process, they're not only demonstrating leadership skills but also taking one step closer to their serving their individual purpose.

I take the job of a parent very seriously and that's one of the main reasons why I wrote my motivational quote book, "Gifts From Others".  I wanted to give Vanessa, Jahleesa and AJ something tangible with substance that can provide some form of guidance as they continue to grow and develop into the personal leaders they're individually destined to be.

To that end, I thought I'd pass along 11 quick important points in no particular order that I'd like my children and other future leaders to bear in mind as they embark on the journey of life:
 
1. Treat People With Respect & Dignity
Your ability to progress in life has a lot to do with how you treat others and the respect you show towards them, you're setting yourself up to reach new heights when you do and say the things that demonstrate both respect and dignity to those around you.  We all want to be treated this way and made to feel that we're valuable and of importance so extend to others and you'll see the returns.

2. Don't Forget The Sandbox Lessons
We were taught the importance of playing in the sandbox as kids but for whatever reason, we grew into adults and those skills got lost along the way.  Because our lives weren't meant to be lived in isolation, the ability to work cooperatively with others is an valuable skill to have.  Our minds will never be big enough to hold all the answers so somewhere along the road we're going to have to look to others for help through an obstacle or problem.

3. Give To Get 
The law of reciprocity says that every single action has an equal and opposite reaction. Smile at another person, and they'll most likely smile back at you. Be critical of others and they'll most likely have something negative to say about you.  Much of what we get from life is based on what we give to others but let's bear in mind that this only happens if we do so from a place of genuineness and sincerity and not because we want something in return.
  
4. Be Positive
A positive attitude is contagious and enough can't be said about the importance of maintaining a happy outlook on life for yourself and others.  A point that's oftentimes overlooked is that people tend to like being around others who help make them feel good about themselves and positively influence the enviornment. So while everyone has bad days, do everything in your power to limit those days to moments.

5. Keep Your Word
Establishing a reputation as someone who keeps their word will get you much further ahead in life then someone who is unreliable and untrustworthy.  Through the process, you'll also develop an attitude of accountability where you'll accept 100% responsibility for your actions, keep your promises and mean the things you say instead of pointing fingers, laying blame or falsely accusing others.  The quickest way to have people lose their faith in you is to demonstrate a lack of accountability for your own actions.  Remember, we don't only look to leaders for answers, they also turn to them for inspiration and support.


6. Eyes Wide Open
No matter how much insight and knowledge we amass, there's always more to be learned about ourselves and the people around us.  Life is always offering tons of learning opportunities and it's our job to be ready for the lesson when it comes our way even during our perceived mistakes and failures.  You see, the only time we truly make a mistake or fail is when we walk away from an experience without learning the lesson.

7. The Power of a Good Deed
I'm a firm believer that the true measure of success is tied into the number of people we're able to positively impact over the course of our lifetime. As a result, I would encourage you to never take for granted or underestimate how much of a difference our actions can have on others.  As the saying goes, even a single candle can light an entire dark room.

8. Be Truthful & Honest With Yourself
The importance of being truthful and honest to yourself can't be overstated because if you're unable to be truthful and honest with yourself, how can you possibly expect to do so with others?

9. Take Others Along For The Ride
Having a general idea which direction you want to go in life is important but the journey takes on an entirely new meaning when you can take others along for the ride with you.  The psychology behind it is that by helping to create positive experiences for others in the present, you're also contributing to their future outlook where its only natural to expect the best from life.  These positive expectations can lead to a healthy state of mind that makes the ride that much more enjoyable for all.


10. Be Satisfied With Your Efforts
I've always felt that it's far more important to tie our happiness and satisfaction into our level of effort as opposed to the end result.  Unfortunately, the end result doesn't always come out in our favor and at the end of the day we have to know that we tried our absolute best and be satisfied that we did as much as possible to achieve what we were after.  The results will come eventually and our level of satisfaction will serve as the bridge to keep us motivated to push ahead.


11. Find The Things That Bring You Joy and Stick By Them
This is very similar to the expression that reminds us to do the things we love and we'll never have to feel like we're working ever again.  Take the time to figure out the things that drives you to stay up late at night, motivates you to see a task through to its completion and excites to the point that its always on your mind.  Once you figured what they are, keep them close by your side at all times.  They'll serve as a reminder of the great things life has to offer and help build up your resiliency particularly when things don't go your way.



See you on the court!


Follow me on Twitter @TheAudman

Janet King of Kids Now

Kids Now is a youth mentoring organization based out of Toronto that equips youth with essential life-success skills that enable them to make positive choices, increase their self-awareness, confidence and communication skills. With the right skills and dedicated mentors youth have the power to reach their full potential.

Created by a Canadian educator, Janet King, who saw a need to complement the existing school curriculum with life skills development, kids.now has a proud tradition of helping youth, their families and communities.  Since 1999, kids.now has empowered more than 11,000 youth across Canada, in more than 1,000 free after school in-school group mentoring programs.  Mentoring-based programs like kids.now are widely recognized as contributing to strong, safe and healthy communities.

Janet joins HCL Radio to discuss the program and the impact that its had on today's youth.

Kids Now is aimed at grades 7 and 8, the ideal window of opportunity to teach youth key life skills they need NOW, before problems start to arise, to avoid dropping out of high school or getting into trouble and endangering their future income and employability.

As a past volunteer of the program, I recognize its value and impact on our young people which is why I'm donating a portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of my latest book, "Gifts From Others" to Kids Now.

Click here for more information.

To learn more about the program or find out how you can become involved, please visit http://www.kidsnowcanada.org

HCL Radio - Where developing leaders is more then just a game!

See you on the court!


Follow me on Twitter @TheAudman

A Society of One

We all know how important it is for individuals to take responsibility for their actions, it's a core element of leadership and something everyone should be mindful of on a regular basis.

Ultimately, we're accountable to ourselves so it's important that we're 100% comfortable for the choices we make because at the end of the day, we'll have to live with ourselves and the pathways we selected.

We're the ones who'll have to evaluate whether or not the choices made are worthwhile and beneficial to us and not others. Think of yourself as our own little society where you are entirely accountable for all the decisions, it's a place where you get to make up all the rules.




It doesn't matter what other societies are doing or what rules they govern themselves with. All that matters are the decisions you make for yourself and whether or not you're comfortable with them.

Sunjay Nath joins me on the next edition of HCL Radio to explore this topic and many more. As an internationally recognized professional speaker and author, Sunjay has spread positive messages around self-esteem, leadership and goal setting to young people all over.


Sunjay chatted with me about the importance of perception.

Click here to listen to what Sunjay had to say.

For more great insights be sure to check out the program or to stay regularly up to date with new episodes, click on the follow button on slightly above the show description!

See you on the court!

Crunch Time Is All The Time

We've all seen the classic basketball scenario countless times. Your team is down by one and there's seconds left on the clock.

You've been fouled and now at the free throw line to shoot what could potentially be the game winners. It's quite simple. Hit your shots or your team loses the game.


How's that for pressure?

To be successful, you'll have to draw on a thing called optimism. Being optimistic allows you to see things in a positive manner and you naturally have the expectation that everything will work out in your favour.

The glass to an optimist is always half empty as opposed to being half full and there's no external factor or condition that can change that.

The ability to remain optimistic especially during tough or challenging times holds tremendous significance in the context of leadership and we'll explore this a bit deeper on the next episode of HCL Radio.

I'm joined by Kevin Touhey, a successful author, hall of fame college basketball coach, inspirational workshop facilitator and highly sought after speaker.

Kevin's best selling book, The Miracle of Optimism explains that by changing our perspective on situations, we can literally transform our lives and in the process become much more optimistic.

Taking a brighter viewpoint on things seems to be a rarity in this day and age and during our conversation, I asked Kevin why there aren't more people with an optimistic perspective.

Click here to listen to what he said.

To hear more, tune into the next edition of HCL Radio!

See you on the court!

The Water Glass

Deciding to have a positive attitude is a choice we choose to make. Being a positive person can make a difference, not only to ourselves but to the people around us.

So the question is, what's in your glass?



Is it half full and rich with opportunities or half empty and in desperate need of replenishment?

Having an upbeat and positive attitude is one of the most significant things that leaders can do to influence and motivate the people around them.

The benefits of having and maintaining a positive attitude are many, it can inspire confidence which strengthens loyalty, provide hope during challenging times and serve as a way to motivate others to find solutions to problems.

All of these things are all possible because of The Power of Having a Positive Attitude.




See you on the court!

Get Your Mojo On!

Have you ever had one of those moments when everything seemed to click on all the right cylinders?

It's that intangible feeling you get when the basket is as big as the ocean and you just can't seem to miss a shot?

It's sometimes referred to as being in the "zone" or on "fire" and is one those unexplainable things that you want to bottle when you got it and never let go.

During Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan seemed to have everything working for him when he scored 35 points in the first half of the game.

Everything he threw up seemed to drop including six three-pointers.


Even Jordan himself couldn't explain what was going on.

That magical mystical feeling is also sometimes referred to as your "Mojo" and MJ definitely had it working for him that game.

Speaking of which, Marshall Goldsmith is a world renowned executive coach and joins the next edition of HCL Radio to discuss his latest book, "Mojo" How To Get, How To Keep It and How To Get It back When You Lose It"



As Marshall describes, "Mojo is that positive spirit that radiates on the inside"

The relationship between leadership and Mojo is very relevant because the good feeling we experience as a result of finding our Mojo can be spread to others and impact them in a positive way as well.

Marshall also points out that there's a direct connection between our personal happiness and meaning and finding that inner Mojo.

Tune in to HCL Radio - Where developing leaders is more than just a game!

See you on the court!

It's All About The 90%

Famed pastor, author and founder of Insight For Living, Charles Swindoll said this about attitude, "We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it."



Although it's a simple concept, developing and maintaining a positive attitude is a challenge for many.

When you stand up in front of a group of people and talk about its importance, most will nod their head in agreement however, a vast majority of people still choose to take the negative route.

Leaders more than anyone else need to embrace the 90% and understand that a positive attitude is contagious.

Darci Lang is speaker and trainer who uses her mental magnifying glass to help individuals recognize the good things in life.




Darci joins the next episode of HCL Radio to chat about the role of a leader in creating a positive enviorment and the negative impact not being positive can have on the lives of others.

Darci is also the author of Focus on The 90%

Click here to listen to my conversation with Darci.



Hard Court Lessons - Where developing leaders is more than just a game!

Thanks for reading!

Attitude is Everything

In his book, "Make Today Count", John Maxwell re-tells a story from his high school days when his basketball coach took him aside at the beginning of his senior year and told him that he wanted him to be the captain of the team.

He was excited but a bit surprised at the same time because he knew that he wasn't the best player on the team.

His coach went on to explain that he may not have been the most skilled player on the team but he had the best attitude and that influenced the other players.

It's important to understand that we choose the attitude we have and if it's our intent to have a great day then we have to have a great attitude to match.

Individuals who possess a positive attitude are able to better focus on the positive aspects of a relationship, as opposed to the negative things. In fact, the negative may even improve - simply because the attitude remains positive.

Hard Court Tip

Personal and business relationships can improve and benefit simply by adopting a positive attitude, thinking positive thoughts, and reacting to situations in a positive way.

Thanks for reading!

Audley

Leaving a Positive Legacy

Wayman Tisdale, a 12 year NBA veteran and jazz musician died at the age of 44 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Wayman was more than just a former NBAer who became an accomplished jazz musician after he retired. He was an inspiration to so many others as he battled a disease that eventually claimed his life.

Wayman never stopped smiling and maintained a positive attitude even after the doctors were forced to amputate his right leg in August 2008 to try and stem the cancer.

I had the honour and privilege of interviewing him on The NBA Breakdown in March of 2009.

Wayman said, “I’m getting through it and keeping a positive attitude about the whole situation.”

He also said, "People who make it through things like this are the positive people and that's what I want to be known as."

Wayman Tisdale left a legacy of a positive person despite the adversity he faced.

As we travel through this on this road called life, it's important to know that we can all be examples through the things we do.

In most cases, we never fully realize the impact of our positive actions on the lives of others or the residue it leaves behind.



Thanks for reading!

Audley