Takin' It To New Heights

New Heights is a non-profit educational organization based in New York City that uses basketball and athletics to help young people think about their futures from an educational standpoint.

But let’s get something straight here folks, New Heights isn’t just a basketball program.



Its clear and direct mission is to inspire inner-city youth to be the leaders and champions that our society needs them to be. New Heights empowers young people to be successful in high school, college and life.

I had an opportunity to catch up and chat with the founder and president of New Heights, Mr. Nick Blatchford.

Listen to the interview.

Thanks for reading!

Being Remarkable

I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.
Michael Jordan

The basketball universe and the rest of the world witnessed history when Michael Jordan joined the greatest players in the game in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In his case, it never was a question of “if” he'd get in but more about “when”.




Jordan truly was a special player and considered by many to be one the greatest to ever step on the basketball court.

But the question is: What made him so remarkable?

Certainly talent and skill had a lot to do with it but he also possessed an intangible drive to succeed that separated him from his competitors.

As my friend, Don Yaeger puts it, "he had a deep hatred of losing".

This was the same drive that pushed him to become a better player after being cut from his high school basketball team for being "too short."

Remarkable Leadership

While not everyone can be Like Mike in the context of leadership, we all have the capacity to be remarkable leaders.

The key is being open and committed to being a continual learner.



Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group and joins me on the next episode of HCL Radio to discuss what Remarkable Leadership is and the importance of being open to learn new things.

Kevin said, "Leadership is a complex enough thing that there's always something we can be learning and getting better at."

Join us as Kevin explains how you can achieve remarkable results and reach your potential.

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


Thanks for reading!

Where developing leaders in more than just a game.

1st Annual John Wooden Pyramid of Success Awards

On September 12, 2009, the basketball courts at The Hangar Athletic Xchange(HAX) training facility in Hawthorne, CA, was transformed into an elegant backdrop for the gala reception of the 1st Annual John Wooden Pyramid of Success Awards.

The event was created by the HAX Foundation to honor successful community leaders and raise money to provide scholarships to student athletes in need so they could attend HAX athletic and educational programs.

Boston Celtics Forward /Inglewood native Paul Pierce and World Champion Boxer, Health & Body correspondent and mom Laila Ali received the first ever Competitive Greatness Awards.




Other honorees included ESPN’s Dick Vitale, CEO of McDonald’s Jim Skinner and “Say No Classic” Founder Rod Smith.

Jayson Barry, a recipient of a HAX Foundation scholarship was also on hand and said, “When you have a team behind you it makes you want to work harder not only for yourself but for them.”

If that wasn't enough, the awards also paid homage to the legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden with the Lifetime Achievement Award who was named by Sporting News as the "Greatest Coach of All Time."




HAX CEO, Jeff Herdman was a guest on HCL Radio and provided some insights on HAX, the HAX Foundation and the 1st Annual John Wooden Pyramid of Success Awards.


Click here to listen to the interview.


Thanks for reading!

Where developing leaders in more than just a game.

Influence - Pull Not Push

Leaders are often judged on their ability to effectively persuade and influence those around them.

However, the act of influencing others is more than just getting people to do what you want.

It's about having an open line of communication and sharing information on both sides. Leaders must also possess the capacity to effectively and positively affect their followers to be successful.

Heath Slawner is an experienced trainer and management consultant on the science of influence and persuasion and joins the next episode of HCL Radio.

When asked about the topic of influence, Heath said, "The best influencers listen a lot and are open to be influenced as they do seek to influence other people, it's a two way street."

Heath is the only professional in Canada certified to deliver the Principles of Persuasion workshop (“PoP”), which is based on the lifelong work of Dr. Robert Cialdini and focuses on the ethical uses of influence tactics.

Join us on the next episode of HCL Radio and listen as Heath breaks down the six principles of persuasion and provides some great examples of their uses.

Heath invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Click here for more information about the Principles of Persuasion workshop.

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

Click here to listen.

Thanks for reading!

Where developing leaders in more than just a game.

The Match-Ups

One of the things coaches pay particular attention to during the preparation process for a game is the match-ups.




As a coach, you'll want to take full advantage and exploit any and all opportunities that exist in your favour.

One of the ways you can do this is by examining the skill sets of your players and maximizing their strengths.

For example, if your team had a dominant offensive player in the centre position like Shaquille O'Neal, you'll want to design as many of the right scoring plays to give him the opportunity to fully take advantage of his strengths.

Conversely, it should be recognized that the opposing coach may try and exploit the very same match-up at the defensive end by forcing your dominant centre to cover a smaller quicker player.



IN LEADERSHIP

If you're leading a team towards completing a project, assignment or task, you'll want to try and go through a similar evaluation process.

This may prove to be challenging if time constraints exist however, the pay-offs are enormous.

It's also important to try and balance the needs of the group with the needs of the individual where at all possible.

As opposed to assigning someone the same task because they're good at it, try exposing them to something different as a way of developing new skills.

Mixing up the experiences also increases the likelihood of keeping your group engaged and the interest level up.

Through the process, you're fostering an environment of continuous learning which will reduce the risk of stagnation and boredom.


THE MA!N PO!NT

The point is that understanding your team and knowing how to evaluate their individual strengths and weaknesses is necessary when drawing up a game plan.

Once you've properly evaluated your people, you can now align their skill sets with the right situation to achieve optimum performance.

Thanks for reading!

Audley
Where developing leaders is more than just a game.

The Importance of Giving To Others

We often times don't realize how much power exists in the act of giving, those that give also receive huge benefits when they freely do something that is of benefit to others.

We'll focus on the act of giving on the next edition of HCL Radio. The impact of this often time overlooked leadership trait is enormous and I've asked Azim Jamal to join us to walk us through the importance of giving to others.



Azim Jamal is a leading inspirational speaker, management consultant & executive coach. He has three professional financial qualifications but made a life-changing career switch from "accounting for business" to "accounting for life" during a soul-stirring experience while volunteering in the developing world.

Azim has a clear philosophy on the importance of giving, "When you stop giving, you stop living"

He also is the author of the best selling book, "The Power of Giving"



There's a great deal of value when give our time, talents and energy and the benefits to others is greater than any monetary gain.

Tune in to the next episode of Hard Court Lessons Radio and Azim will provide further insights into the importance of giving to others.

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
Where developing leaders is more than just a game.

It's Time For A Change

We're all subject to change in our lives at one point or another and we don't have to be leaders to experience it.

The next edition of HCL Radio is dedicated to looking at this thing called change and understand the role of a leader during the change management process.

I've called on the services of my good friend Bill Kane to help us make sense of it all.



Bill is a business change expert, leadership consultant and is the co-creator of Coach John Wooden's Leadership Program.

He delivers management training seminars for corporate clients, civic groups, schools, and individuals seeking to lead their teams toward optimized and sustained performance.

His book, "The Truth About Thriving in Change" provides some great insights and practical ideas for how we all can work through the change process.

Join the next episode of HCL Radio and hear how these tips can be used to help us in our personal and professional lives.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

~Charles Darwin~

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
Where developing leaders is more than just a game.