Thursday, December 31, 2015

Quote of the Week

Michael Jordan, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Chicago Bulls, teammates

"The one thing I believe to the fullest, is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves.  I'd rather have five guys with less talent who are willing to come together as a team than five guys who consider themselves stars and aren't willing to sacrifice."
- Michael Jordan

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Leading with Confidence

Michael Jordan, Jordan, game winner, utah jazz, confidence, leadership
Michael Jordan hits game winner over Utah Jazz in
Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals
Have you ever seen this?  Have you ever seen the best athlete on the court, the field, the pitch, the pool.... Have you ever seen them just stop leading when they're having an off-day?  We know the image: athlete isolates himself/ herself, head hanging low or resting on the gutter.

Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers (4x Super Bowl champion) admits, "Confidence is a fragile thing."

For better or worse, within every season -- even every game -- there are countless highs and lows.  Inherently then, there is a great deal of failure built into every sport.  But the very best leaders are those who are capable of combining sincere optimism with a solid belief in oneself.  They develop self-confidence that helps minimize the effect of failures on their ability to lead.  

Michael Jordan says, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

We believe that every athlete on the team carries leadership responsibility.  Here are some pointers to help our student-athletes develop confidence necessary to lead:

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Helium Stick

team building, vocal leader, leadership, helium stick, activity
Have the group divide into two lines and face each other.

RULE: everyone's index fingers must remain in contact with the stick at all times, and the stick must rest on top of their fingers at all times (no grabbing, finger curling, etc.)

Have the group extend their index fingers at their waist level.

Lay the stick across the group's fingers.

At that time, the group must work together to lower the stick to the ground.

Inevitably, the stick rises almost instantly! The rise is caused by the small ripples of upward pressure as individuals each try to remain in contact with the stick.


After refocusing, the group should be able to lower the stick to the ground.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Leadership: Leader by Example

Leaders by Example lead not by what they say but more in how they conduct themselves.
lead by example, leadership, leader by example
 These are athletes who consistently work hard in every drill, play with pride, keep their cool in pressure situations and do the right thing in and out of the water.  
There are four main characteristics: commitment, confidence, composure, and character.

Which of your teammates is best in each category?