Coulda Woulda Shoulda

We've all had to deal with the feeling of regret at one time or another. I know I've had more than my fair share as a coach for my daughter's juvenile basketball team.




I recall one game when our team was down by two points and there was enough time on the clock for one more play.

We had the ball so I called a time-out and brought the team in to explain what we were trying to do collectively.

Not very many of the girls had a lot of experience in high pressure packed games so I wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page.


I was purposeful and thorough in my explanation but unfortunately, I forgot to give instruction to one of the players in terms of where I wanted her positioned on the floor.

When the play started she was too close to the ball and as a result her defender was able to jump in the passing lane and steal the inbounds pass which sealed the game.

We lost!

I immediately realized what happened and I knew that I should have explained in greater detail what I wanted everyone to do.

Hard Court Tip

We have two clear choices when we make mistakes. We can dwell on our mistakes and live in regret or learn from the experience and move on.

Part of learning from the experience is accepting the circumstances and taking responsibility for anything that you could have better handled.

Regrets can easily turn into burdens if we dwell on them for too long, burdens can impact our present happiness and even interfere with your future, or motivation to move forward.

"I don't have to wait until the next morning to regret something I did that was kinda dumb" Bobby Knight

Thanks for reading!

Audley

HCL Radio Hits the Airwaves

Hard Court Lessons Radio makes its debut appearance on Monday July 20, 2009.

The blog has expanded into a talk radio program and will feature expert guests and discussion on the topic of leadership and leadership development.

The first episode is entitled, "The Wooden Way" and best selling author Steve Jamison will join the program.

Steve is America’s preeminent authority on the leadership philosophy of UCLA’s legendary Coach John Wooden whose basketball dynasty won ten March Madness national championships in a 12 year span.

But it just wasn't the championships that made him successful. Coach Wooden took young men and developed them into more than just winning players.

He built leaders.

The two have worked together for more than 15 years and Steve now shares what made this extraordinary man so successful.

Tune in to HCL Radio on Monday July, 20 2009 and hear about a man who believed that if you take care of the process, "everything else will take care of itself".

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

Note: Free show reminders are available by visiting the show page and clicking on the "Remind Me" button.

Click here to listen to the episode.

Thanks for reading!

Audley

Put Your Socks on Right

There's a video on John Wooden's website in which NBA great Bill Walton retells a story about the importance of paying attention to detail involving his legendary UCLA college coach.

In case you didn't know.

Coach Wooden is considered by many to be one of the most successful coaches across all professional sports.

Why you ask?

• He won 10 NCAA National Championships in 12 years while at UCLA
• Seven championships wins in a row
• Four undefeated seasons
• In his 40 years of coaching, he only had one losing season, his first year.
  

He's translated his success off the court in the form several business books focussed on leadership and a corporate leadership program at UCLA.

Anyhow, Coach Wooden gathered a young Bill Walton and several of his teammates and explained the importance of paying attention to detail through the example of socks.

The man known as the Wizard of Westwood believed that success came from paying attention to all the fine details.

You see, to John Wooden's rationale was pretty simple.

If you don't put your socks on properly:

they could lead to blisters;
blisters could lead to irritation;
irritation could lead to distraction;
distraction could lead to turnovers.

And in the closing seconds of a championship game, a turnover could be catastrophic.

The key is understanding the things that fall within the scope of your control regardless how minor, still can make a difference.

Listen to the Fast Break Podcast by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

Audley

The Flexible Approach

During their 1995 postseason run, the Houston Rockets won their second NBA championship by defeating the San Antonio Spurs and the Orlando Magic. Two quality teams that featured premier centres in David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal.

Both of them had been severely outplayed by Houston Rocket big man, Hakeem Olajuwon.

In a Life magazine story, Robinson seemed perplexed. "Solve Hakeem?" said Robinson. "You don't solve Hakeem."



O'Neal felt the same way after going down in a Finals sweep . "He's got about five moves, then four countermoves," said a stunned O'Neal. " That gives him 20 moves."

The most all around and successful players are those who consistently demonstrate flexibility in their actions.

They have several options and possess the ability to score in a variety of ways.

Being flexible is vital to achieving any form of success in today's challenging world.



Situations will constantly arise that impact the way we get things done but how we choose to respond to these changes is key.

Developing an ambidextrous mindset will allow you to view and approach problems in an entirely different manner.

You'll consider problems as opportunities to try new and different solutions.

Here are 4 points to keep in mind about flexibility:





1. Nothing is set in stone - People and circumstances can change at a moments notice;

2. Being flexible doesn't mean you're indecisive or unable to make up your mind;

3. Taking a rigid approach suggests that you are resistance to change;

4. You've got to consciously make the decision to be flexible until it becomes second nature.

THE MA!N POINT

Great leaders aspire to have mutually beneficial relationships with those they come in contact with. Demonstrating flexibility in your actions can help increase the number of quality relationships in your life.

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach."
Tom Robbins

Thanks for reading!

Audley

The Big Shot

There's nothing more exciting in basketball than winning a game on a last second shot.

While much attention is paid to the "shot" as being the difference maker, it's actually very rare that one solitary play determines the outcome of a game.



Rather, it's the events leading up to the buzzer beater are the culprits we should point our fingers at.

Look at it this way.

A squad is winning by a huge margin and the other team makes a furious surge in the 4th quarter and eventually wins on a game winning shot.

Was it the last shot that won the game or was it the steps leading up to it that mattered most?

Both are correct because they've contributed to help the team win. The reality is that the team wouldn't have been in a position to win if not for all the small things leading up to the "shot".



The pathway to our failures and successes are made up of a series of actions leading up until the final outcome.

A missed free throw in the 1st quarter or making a big defensive play are both examples of small things that can happen over the course of a game.

These contributing factors may seem insignificant at the time but they do make a difference, especially in a tightly contested game.

As leaders, it's important to pay attention to contributions from all sources and what role they play in the final outcome.



Understanding what the contributing factors are make the evaluation process much smoother to move through and thus set the team up for future successes.

Thanks for reading!

Audley

Mentoring takes commitment

Mentoring takes commitment

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The Greatest To Ever Play?

One of the classic debates that'll come up every so often in basketball circles is the question of who is the greatest to ever play?


It's a difficult one to answer because we've had the privilege of watching so many greats play the game.

Micheal Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls and dazzled us with his jaw dropping aerial acrobatics.

Magic Johnson brought excitement to the fans of LA with his flashy no look passing ability and award winning smile.

Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal are all fine examples of what dominant low post play looks like.

Whether you're developing your skills on the court or as a leader, it's key to recognize what our individual skills are and that they count for something.




Here are three quick points to understanding leadership development.

POINT #1
Effective leadership has to be impactful. In other words, your actions must mean something to those around you. Leadership isn`t what you do for yourself, rather how you make a difference to others.

POINT #2
Not all leaders are built the same. Each of us have our own unique personality styles like players on a basketball court. While there could be similarities between individuals at the end of the day, they`re `still different.

POINT #3
There isn`t a specific mold one must follow.`It can be whatever you want it to be as long as the end result meets the condition of my first point. Is it impactful? Does it meet the basic rules of effective leadership?

IN CLOSING...

Taking the the time to understand what you bring to the table are critical to your developing leadership skills. Perhaps you're a good listener or maybe have a great sense of humour. Whatever it is, know that there is a place for them.




Thanks for reading!

Audley