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 Definition of Winning

Outlasting your competition, winning a championship game or making it to the top of the podium are all generally associated with winning or being successful.

But what if winning had nothing to do with being successful?

What if we measured winning by the individual effort that`s put in rather than the end result?

Former UCLA coach, John Wooden was known throughout his coaching career as one who focused on effort and the fundamentals of the game rather than winning.

Wooden has been called the greatest college coach in history thanks to a long list of accomplishments, including a record 10 NCAA Men's Championship titles. But for him, it's not about the number of wins and losses: It's about how much effort was put into it.

This just so happens to be what the next episode of HCL Radio is all about.

Winning Because I Tried is the name of a youth mentoring program led by former college basketball star, Modie Cox.
Modie spends some time on the show talking about the work he does with young people in helping them to recognize the importance of focusing on effort as opposed to winning.

This Niagara Falls native makes a point of explaining that we don`t control many things that happen to us but we do have control of our effort.

Tune in to the next edition of HCL Radio and hear more from Modie.

See you on the court!

Hard Court Lesson #1

During the winter of 1891, Dr. James Naismith of Springfield, Massachusetts invented the indoor game of basketball using a tattered old peach basket as a hoop.

It was created for the purpose of providing a preoccupation to a group of youth that could be played indoors and serve as an "athletic distraction".

When Naismith developed the game, it originally had 13 rules however, as the "athletic distraction" evolved, the tattered peach basket was replaced with an orange rim and the rule book that contained the13 rules grew as thick as an old Yellow Pages phone book.

In keeping with the spirit of the game’s origin (13 original rules), I thought it fitting to share 13 Specatcular Hard Court Leadership Lessons with you in the coming weeks starting with this post.

These lessons are meant to increase your awareness and broaden your understanding of what the act of leadership is all about.

The hope is that you'll see beyond the basketball references and look to see how these lessons can be practically applied in your own life.

My desire is that they'll serve as the foundation to help you become a more reliable and effective leader and move you from the bench into the starting line-up!

I'd appreciate it if you took the time to comment, feedback is both welcomed and encouraged.

Check out the video below for Hard Court Lesson #1

Thanks!

You Don't Need To Be A Point Guard To Be A Leader



See you on the court!

Bringing It All Together

You're probably not too shocked to hear me say that the game of basketball is much more than fast break dunks, slick no-look passes and the type of fancy dribbling that would make you think the ball was on a string.

In addition to all the great leadership lessons I've highlighted through Hard Court Lessons in the past, basketball also is a great way to bring people together.

Case in point, I turn to my man - Michael Evans of Full Court Peace.

In 2006, Michael went to Belfast, Northern Ireland with the goal of forming a travel basketball team out of a select group of Catholic and Protestant teenagers in the city’s segregated public school system.

Despite the violent conflict waging between Catholics and Protestants who were on opposite sides of "the wall", Michael recruited an equal number of players from each side of the divided community.

After some time, and not without controversy, these two groups came together as one team, which was later named the Belfast Blazers.

The shared excitement for the game helped to foster unity and lasting friendships among the players and allowed them to “communicate their feelings through basketball.”

A New Project

Michael and Full Court Peace have now turned their attention to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and intend on using basketball as not only a way to unify but also give young people a safe way to pass the time.

The drugs and killings that take place in Juárez have given it the reputation of being the most violent city in the world with thousands of unsolved murders taking place every year.

I was honored to have Michael join HCL Radio to share his incredible story as well as let us in on how we can help become involved through the simple act of shooting free throws.

Check it out!



Full Court Peace’s mission is to use team basketball to cultivate and inspire enduring friendships between teenagers from rivaling communities in war-torn regions of the world.

Click here to listen to my conversation with Mike.

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

See you on the court!

Figuring Out The Why

When it comes to our work, it's important to have a solid understanding about what we're doing but it's even more critical to have a grasp on why we're doing it.


Whether we choose to take on a cause, complete a task or perform a job duty, having a grasp on the concept of "Why" can help us be much more efficient and productive in our personal and professional lives.

On a deeper level, it also helps create a sense of commitment, identity and purpose.

Dave Ulrich is an influential voice in the field of HR. His professional focus has addressed questions on how organizations add value to customers and investors through both leadership and strategic human resource practices.

He joins HCL Radio along with his wife Wendy Ulrich, a licensed psychologist to discuss their latest book, "The Why of Work".

Click here to listen to Dave as he talks about leaders as meaning makers.

I asked Wendy about the importance of understanding the why of what we do and she provided an excellent illustration based on the famed author, therapist and holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl.

Click here to listen to Wendy.



Leaders play a key role in helping those following them understand their purpose and need to continually recognize that the "Why" can't be forgotten about!

HCL Radio - Where developing leaders is more than just a game.

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!

Losing is a Process

I think most will agree that losing isn't fun and the last thing you want to hear is that it's good for you.


But it really is.

There are great opportunities to learn, grow and develop in defeat especially when you’re not beating yourself up for losing.

As the American writer, Richard Bach once put it,

“That's what learning is, after all; not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we've changed because of it and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way, is winning.”





See you on the court!