Direction in Your Life

A map instructor early in my military career made two statements that have stuck with me for life. 

The first was, “It doesn’t matter where you have been.  You are here now.  Where are you going to go?  How are you going to get there?”  The second was, “You are never lost if you don’t care where you are.

Profound?  Not at the time.  They seemed like a waste of breath.  It took years before the actual meaning of those statements filtered through this thick skull of mine.  Roughly translated, the second phrase means this.  “You are never going to be successful if you don’t care what you are doing.”  If you are content with any job, as long as it provides enough money to keep a roof over your head and food on your table and electricity to your refrigerator for cold beer, then you are not going to be successful.  Unless, of course, that is your definition of success.  

Or, maybe that is the problem.  You have never defined success.  

What does success mean to you?  

What do you have to do to achieve it? 

 Answer these two questions, and you are on your way to becoming a leader.

The good news lies in the first phrase.  It doesn’t matter where you have been or what you have done.  

Have you made some mistakes in your life?  

Did you not go to college when your peers did because you wanted to “Relax” a little?  

Did you get involved with the bleeders of society?  

Did you fail to apply yourself in school?  

Have negative influences taken over your life?  

Well, take it back!

It doesn’t matter where you have been.  You are here now.  

Where are you going to go?  

Where are you going to go?  That is asking for the definition of success that I mentioned earlier.  

What is success to you?  Is it an office job with the big bucks?  Is it inventing a better mouse trap?  Is it becoming a doctor or lawyer?  Is it teaching, or coaching, or farming or being the best darn diesel mechanic in the state?

What it is doesn’t matter as long as you have defined what success means to you.  That definition is the motivation that will give you a reason to go on.

“-How are you going to get there?”  Once you have defined success, you must find the path that will take you there.  The path is relatively easy to find.  It is right in front you.  All you have to do is to open your eyes and follow it.  It is kind like doing a maze.  The easiest way to solve it is to look at the end and follow the path back to the beginning.  In this case, you look at your definition of success.  That is your goal.  Then you start back tracking to where you are in your life right now.  As with a maze, the objects that look like road blocks from the front are simply obstacles that can be readily overcome.

Here is an example:  You are a woman in your mid thirties who always wanted to be a nurse.  However, things came along that got in your way.  Road blocks shall we say.  Things like husbands, children, and time.  Minor details.  Then, one day you sit down and look at your definition of success.  That definition has multiple parts.  To be a good mother, a good wife and to become a nurse.    You could say to yourself that two out of three ain’t bad.  Or, you could start checking into nursing programs and see if there is a way that you can achieve all three.  You might be surprised at the answer.  Just ask my wife.  She is the person in this example.  She wasn’t satisfied with two out of three.  Now, she has it all.

You have to have direction in your life to become a leader.  It is mandatory.  If you are not going any place, nobody is going to follow you.  That direction is your definition of success.  If you are happy going to that job just because it pays the bills, then by all means keep going.  It leaves more room at the top for the rest of us.

Now, get off the bench and get back in the game!

Have and amazing day,

Coach Papa

Why Are Coaches Idiots?

Are coaches idiots?

First of all, we must agree that coaches are in fact idiots.

Help me out here. I want you to think about the person that most often becomes a coach. He was a competitor. Quite often, a very talented competitor. He was a person who prepared religiously for every match and gave it his all once the competition began. Then, once it became clear to him or her that they were no longer able to effectively compete, they became a coach to help others be the best they could be.

This person is still the most caring, hard working, dedicated individual he or she ever was during their competitive years. Then, it happens. They are coaching their team in their first competition. During the competition a referee makes a bad call and the coach is all over him or her for it. Next, one of the athletes makes a huge mistake that is costly to the team.  So the coach subs for the athlete and gives them a piece of his mind at the top of his voice. The pattern continues.  The parents, athletes and referees all think this coach is a clown.

They are wrong. This young coach probably has the potential to become one of the finest coaches in the sport. The problem is chemicals. That’s right, chemicals. You see, when a competitor is preparing for a match, their body is sending out a number of chemicals to help the body sustain throughout this intense period. It is the age old case of flight or flight preparation that starts the adrenalin and other chemicals loading into the system. Once the competition begins, these chemicals are being used by the body to carry them though.  The coach was once a competitor. A very good competitor. His body goes through the same preparation for a match as it did when he was young and competing. The problem is that now he is standing on the side line with no where to burn off these chemicals, except through his mouth and his actions. So he does. And, since he does, he gives all the appearance of being an idiot. Such is not the case.  As a matter of fact, with a little proper training, this coach can learn to use those chemicals to turn him or her into to the budding genius that they probably are.

First of all, the coach must learn to channel their energy into thought processes, not action processes.

Second, in understanding the nature of his or her situation, they shoud take the time to do a some exercises that will burn off enough of the excess chemicals to get them down to a managable level. Then, when the match begins, they should have something to capture their thoughts on. A clipboard, a note book or maybe a minature tape recorder.

Finally, they should train themselves not to say a word to the team, or an individual athlete, until they have talked the situation over with a personal confidant. Someone who can help to keep the situation in perspective. If the team is not getting the calls from the referee, the coach should talk it over with the referee in a calm manner, asking for an explanation. If there is time out called, or a substitution made to discuss problems the team is having, talk over what you are going to say with your assistant. Or, anyone else you may have identified as your sounding board. It is vital that the coach remains in positive control of all situations at all times.

The reason you must remain in control is that you are not just training these young men and women in the sport you are coaching. You are training them on how to deal with life’s little situations. If you are an idiot, than you are training idiots. If you are calm, cool and under control, then you are training these fine young people to become the future leaders of our country.

Why are coaches idiots? They are not idiots. They are the most dedicated individuals on the face of the earth. They just need to understand their bodies a little bit better so they can be effective leaders. For, if they are effective leaders, then they are going to create effective leaders for the future of our country.

Now, get off the bench and get back in the game!

Have an amazing day!

Coach Papa

Leadership lessons from a flock of geese

What can we learn about leadership from a flock of geese? These are clearly not the most intelligent creatures.  They are messy, noisy, to the point of annoying, and they are not all that nice either, as you will find that you ever approach their young. 

So, what can we learn from flock of geese?  There are three things you'll notice about every flock of geese.  The first thing you'll notice is they always fly in a V formation.   The second thing you'll notice is that there is temporary confusion from time to time as they are flying .  A final thing you'll notice is that one leg of the V is always longer than the other.

Let's address the first thing first. Why do geese fly in a V formation?  This is easy.  A single goose, by him or herself, can only fly 60 to 70 miles a day.  However, a flock of geese flying in the formation, can fly hundreds of miles a day.  Here's why.  When the lead goose moves his wings in a downward motion, he creates an updraft that the goose right behind him is riding on. As the second goose flaps its wings down on the updraft it creates an updraft for the one behind him and so on to the end of the V. However, if you think about what I said earlier, you realize that even in this formation, the lead goose could only fly 60 miles.  Therefore the flock could only fly 60 miles if they didn't relieve each other every so often.  That brings to light the second thing you notice, temporary confusion.  As the one who's the leader gets winded, he turns the team over to the next goose. By doing this, the flock of geese fly hundreds of miles for a single goose could only fly 60.

Now that we've explained the first two things noticed, what is the reason one leg of the V is always longer than the other?  It's simple, because geese can't count. As I mentioned before, the are clearly not the most intelligent creatures.  Which tells me, the leadership is a very natural thing to do.  Human beings, as relatively intelligent creatures, at least some of us, have a tendency to overthink leadership.  If we would take a few lessons from geese, we would be a lot better off.  The lead goose serves the rest of the geese by creating an updraft for them to make their job easier. As a leader, we would look pretty silly flapping our arms and telling people that we are doing this to make their job easier. However, there are many things we can do to accomplish that task. We can give them the tools they need to get the job done.  We can give them the time they need to get the job done. We can give them the training they need to get the job done. We could listen to their needs and provide what they need to get the job done.  Bottom line is that we as leaders are here to serve, not to be served.

The second lesson we can learn from these silly creatures is that every once in a while we need to give up the reins to be successful.  And, goodness knows when it's time to turn over the lead to the next goose, we reasonably intelligent creatures hold onto the reins until we can't lift another finger.  Michael Jordan got a lot of grief when he stepped away from the game of basketball the first time.  But he, like the goose, realized that he needed to step away for a while. Many great athletes, like Michael,  stepped away from the game, and then made successful comebacks. However, the comebacks never lasted as long as their initial run.  As a leader, you need to ask yourself the question.  How long am I going to be able to keep up this pace?l. 

If you keep your life in balance, you can keep going a lot longer than you think. However, if you don't take some time away from the front of the flock every so often, your day will be done very soon.  

 Your turn will come to lead the flock., When it does, enjoy every second. Make sure you take a little time for yourself, so that you can give your team what they need.

Now, get off the bench, and get back in the game.

Have an amazing day,

Coach Papa

Leading from the Rear

When most people think of a leader, they think the guy in front of the charge.  The guy with the sword held high carrying the flag saying take that hill. And, there are times the leader must be in front of the organization, setting the example.

However, that is most often not the case.  It is actually easier to lead from the front then it is to maintain a rear position and still be in charge.  An effective leader is almost never near the front line operation.  Managers, on the other hand, need to be at the frontline so they know the job is being done the way they want it.  Leaders know the job is being done whether they see it, or not.

It comes down to training, trust and communication.  When your subordinate leaders have been properly trained, the only thing they need is your guidance to get the job done.  You will never hear someone being accused of micro leading.  Yet, micromanaging has become commonplace in the world of management.

In order to lead from the rear, two things must happen.  Number one, your subordinate leaders must know how you think act and feel. If they do not know who you are, they cannot lead on your behalf.  Second, once you have given them guidance, get out of their way.  If you have given them what they need to do the job, the last thing they need is you.  

Over my life, I have worked in several different types of organizations.  Me personally, I could never work in a management based organization again.  I've witnessed time and time again how management stifles creativity and limits the ability of people to do incredible things.  I was a plant manager in a leadership based organization.  It was family owned and operated and you felt good while doing the job.  Then, the company was sold to a management based corporation.  I watched as an organization that had grown in double digits for the past several years was completely destroyed within two years of the buyout.  The corporation who bought the company, blamed the economy for the failure.  Whatever.  When the original owners bought the company back for a fraction of what they sold it for, it once again became a thriving, successful company.  

This brings to mind a phrase that I have witnessed an action.  A leader can successfully manage, but a manager will very seldom lead. 

Now, get off the bench and get back in the game.

Have an amazing day,

Coach Papa