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!

Leadership Truths

No two people will define leadership the exact same way and if you ask, you'll more than likely receive different responses.


For some reason, there seems to be a boatload of thoughts, opinions and perspectives as to what leadership truly is all about.

It's one of those things that has a different meaning to different people depending on your involvement or past experiences with it.

I'm a member of a leadership group on LinkedIn and a question was posted that asked to identify the major differences between ledership and management.

After more than 800 replies, the responses are still coming in.

There's a great deal of value in having multiple viewpoints as it can lead to rich discussion and insightful learning. However, it can also could make room for misconception and perhaps confusion to creep in.

Joining the next episode of HCL Radio is long time leadership expert and author, Jim Kouzes.



Jim is co-author of the award-winning book, The Leadership Challenge, with over one million copies sold. Jim is not only a highly regarded leadership scholar and experienced executive, but the Wall Street Journal has also cited Jim as one of the 12 most requested "non-university executive-education providers" to U.S. companies.

Jim has done a significant amount of research in the field of leadership over the course of the last 30 years or so. Listen to Jim's thoughts on the differences in leadership now and then.

He'll help us gain a better understanding of leadership and will also chat about his latest book, The Truth About Leadership.


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!