Tag: Jon Gordon

July 19, 2017

WYC 123 – The Positivity Experiment – Kate Leavell talks culture, Jon Gordon, & Lacrosse

Kate Leavell: I have been an NCAA lacrosse coach, a high school varsity lacrosse and strength coach, a youth and travel coach of many different sports, swimming instructor, NASM certified personal trainer and senior fitness specialist, board member, a national coaches education trainer for US Lacrosse, an eternal college student, a parent of youth and high school athletes, speaker, teacher, and apparently now after four years of blogging and nationally featured articles and a book…a writer. I’m drawn to all things motivational and figuring out what makes people reach and discover what seems impossible. After a recent shoulder surgery led to staring a pulmonary embolism in the face (or staring at it in the lungs?!) i had time to reevaluate what is important. I came to the realization that it’s not an interest after all that I spread motivation around, it’s in fact, a necessity. So my mission begins, one kid, one coach at a time if need be.

Website (and book coming soon): kateleavell.com

Twitter: @kateleavell

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Listen Now:

Listen on iTunes: iTunes link

Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link

Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link

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Quote

‘Invite your team to get on the bus. Get the energy vampires off the bus. You are better off without them.’ – Jon Gordon

Coaching your own kids

Have assistant coaches coach teach your kid and vice versa
Stop coaching on the car ride home, leave it at the field

Cringe Moment

Putting your own self-worth based on a team’s performance
‘I know a lot about lacrosse, I don’t know anything about building a culture’
Big moment: meeting Jon Gordon in the airport, reading The Energy Bus – changed Kate’s perspective on building culture

Accelerate Deep Training

Make everything fun, make everything competitive, then quit talking and just let them do it. ‘Kids hear the first sentence and last sentence you say’, the middle usually just goes in one ear and out the other.

Good Icebreakers/games

The Hug game – Call out a number, then the kids have to form a group with that number of people and put arms around each other to form a circle. Whoever doesn’t end up in a circle is out.
Zombie Tag – First time tagged, you lose an arm. Then you have to go out of circle, run a lap, then you’re back in. Then you lose 2nd arm, then legs. So last time you have to roll out of circle b/c you have no legs.
Stop playing chess with your players, put away the ‘joystick’, and

Peak performance

‘I’m a believer in belief’ – The more the kids believe that you believe in them, the better their performance will be

Building Culture

It starts with expectations up front
3 different groups that feed into your culture:

1 – Coaches – Support one another. Do a mid-season survey to ask kids how they are doing

2 – Players – Positive self-talk

3 – Parents – Kate has an open door policy, the only restriction is that they will only talk about their kid, not other kids on the team

Communication – “Drama is heavier than bricks, it always breaks through”

Lessons from Jon Gordon

‘Invite your team to get on the bus. Get the energy vampires off the bus. You are better off without them.’
Urban Meyer 10-80-10 Principle – Quit spending energy on the energy vampires, put your energy towards your high energy people

The one that got away

It wasn’t a tough loss – it was a team where Kate had let the culture get away from her

The Positivity Experiment

Kate did an experiment where she committed to only talking about what it going well, never pointing out negatives. The things they needed to work on, she would just add them to the practice plan instead of pointing them out.
‘I let go of being focused on winning, which freed me up to enjoy coaching and took the pressure off the outcome of the game’

Parting Advice

Think about the end game. Picture the kid you are coaching at graduation, and ask him/her to describe their sports experience.

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March 13, 2017

The Culture Journey Week #23 – The Bus Trip

Week 23

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Regular Season week #2

Positive Energy

I continued what I have affectionately self-named ‘Coach Craig’s Goofy Games‘ to start each practice.

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This week’s best game:Great Teammate Tips Challenge

After one of our seniors shared the 2 new tips for the week from The Hard Hat, we broke into 4 teams: freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. I gave them each a page from the sketch pad which we use to write the tips on (by the way – love this sketch pad I bought for $14 on Amazon: link) and gave them each a Sharpie and asked them to write down as many of the 8 teammate tips they could remember. The correct number ranged from 3 to 7 (the seniors obviously had an advantage since they are reading the book.) It was good to get the groups brainstorming together, plus put the emphasis on how much are they really listening to these tips being presented by the seniors.

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Culture Update – The Bus Trip

This weekend we had 1 of our 2 bus trips, a 3 hour ride over to Knoxville to play 2 varsity games and 1 JV game. I had been thinking about this for some time, because last year our bus trips were a bit shocking to me how immature and disrespectful much of the conversation was. We discussed this as a coaching staff, and decided rather than trying to ‘police’ the conversation, to instead fill the time with productive activity. We brought a DVD with the 2015 Div II lacrosse national championship game which was 1 hour 45 minutes long and played that as soon as we left. Then we spent the last hour bringing up the different position groups to the front of the bus with the coaches to discuss the gameplan for the day. This seemed to work really well and our mindset getting off the bus seemed to be much more focused and excited to play great lacrosse vs. last year where they were just goofing off and not focused. The results on the field paid off as well as we played a great first half and won the first game.

The return bus trip was less organized but we stopped for pizza then most of the boys fell asleep as it was a long day and we were all pretty exhausted. Overall it was a night and day better experience vs. last year.

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We also continue to have the seniors presenting 2 of the teammate tips from Jon Gordon’s The Hard Hat, this weeks we covered points 7 and 8:

7 – Do it for your team, not for applause

8 – Show you are committed

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Have a great week and keep fighting for your culture everyday!

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I am excited to walk this journey with you. I welcome any feedback, ideas, and suggestions you might have as you read through this. You are also welcome to share this with any other coaches you think could benefit from it, and please have them email me at [email protected] if they would like to be added to this email list.

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If you are interested in diving deeper on building culture we have started a mastermind group that meets the first and third Wednesday of each month at 12:30 pm EST, see the details at: winningyouthcoaching.com/the-culture-bus-mastermind/. It is exciting to be with likeminded world-changers.

February 24, 2017

The Culture Journey Week #21 – Ninja Entourage & Coaching Staff Trust

Week 21

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Spring practice week #4

Positive Energy

I continued what I have affectionately self-named ‘Coach Craig’s Goofy Games‘ to start each practice.

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This week’s best game: Ninja Entourage

Shout out to Scott Hearon for teaching me this one:

Partner off. Do the motion of shaking the other person’s hand, but, point your pointer finger straight out towards the other person. When game starts, both players try to touch their pointer finger to any part of the other persons body except the arm he is fighting with. Whoever touches wins. Winners advance and find other winners to compete against, whoever lost joins the entourage of whoever beat them. Keep going until you’re down to 2 people for the championship match.

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Culture Update

Our coaching staff continues to improve our internal trust and respect of one another. This takes time. The 8 week sessions we did in the off-season seem to be creeping into a higher trust and respect level amongst one another. With the understanding that the most important way we can influence our team’s culture is to demonstrate teamwork as a coaching staff.

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We also continue to have the seniors presenting 2 of the teammate tips from Jon Gordon’s The Hard Hat, this weeks we covered points 3 and 4:

3 – Choose to be humble and hungry

4 – Pursue excellence

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Have a great week and keep fighting for your culture everyday!

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July 6, 2016

Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch – Part 3: Which dog are you feeding?

Feeding the Positive Dog

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I recently have started reading Jon Gordon’s The Energy Bus. The entire book is about the power of positive energy, and one of the great analogies he uses is how we have the choice whether to feed the positive dog inside of us or the negative one. The choice is ours. The same is true for the teams we coach. Are we going to create a positive atmosphere where everyone can thrive, or are we going to let energy vampires suck the life out of the program. Here are some great ways to build a positive culture and feed the positive dog:

Alan Stein – ‘You get what you bring as a coach’ – If you bring enthusiasm, and model the behavior you are preaching, and expect excellence of yourself – most of the time the players will respond in kind.
You have to deep down truly believe in each kid and what they can accomplish – then constantly be pushing them to where you know they can go. ‘When you take the time to teach your boys, there’s an implied confidence, that you believe they can achieve, and that’s praise in itself” – Coach John Wooden
Positive Conditioning – The winners get to run?!
- You have to put all your attention/effort into recognizing the kids who are earning the right to run.
- For poor effort: ‘You guys just lost your chance to become better. You lost your chance to condition.’
- Learn more on how to do this from Scott Rosberg at Proactive Coaching on his podcast where he discusses this: Podcast link
Have kids play free:
- Don’t pull them immediately after a mistake, if you do they will start to play tight and in fear.
- ‘Make the right lacrosse play. Make the right decision and we’ll live with the results.’
- Growth Mindset – we are a team that will: Teach kids that failing is a highly valuable part of the improvement process. Eliminate pressure on the kids that makes them afraid to make mistakes. Kids are often getting pressure from family members, parents, grandparents, uncles – so as a coach you have to be intentional to not negatively.
- Will Cromack: Set goals to try a new move during a game that you have been working on in practice: ‘Who is going to be brave enough to try this new move during the game this week?’
Count high fives in a practice. Then try to beat that number in future practices.
Echo the coach’s commands – This echoing becomes fun for the kids and gets them all involved, and increases the energy level in the practice.
Say ‘Go make a great catch’ instead of ‘don’t drop this pass.’ When communicating instructions from the sideline – be careful not to go 0 for 2 – meaning your communication had: 1- a negative tone, and 2- no instructional value. Yelling ‘play harder’ or ‘catch the ball’ are examples of 0 for 2 communication.

June 3, 2016

The Experts’ Reading List

The Experts’ Reading List

One of the great things about interviewing talented coaches from all over the world is getting to pick their brain on where their mind is being fed. So we’ll take a break from our coaching series this week and I’ll share a great reading list that I’ve compiled from my podcast guests. Then next week we’ll start up a new series on Building a Winning Culture.

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I’ve read 12 of these, how many have you read? My challenge to you is to pick 2 or 3 to read in the next 6 months, that is what I’m going to do. I’ve just ordered Pete Carroll’s Win Forever, Jon Gordon’s The Energy Bus, and Patrick Lencioni’s The 5 Dsyfunctions of a Team.

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I’ve included hyperlinks to all of the books on Amazon, so just click on the name of the book and order it today! Don’t wait or you won’t do it. No excuses.

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Also – my friend James Leath published a post with his reading list – check it out for some more great recommendations – Link

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Pyramid of Success by Coach John Wooden
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – the story ‘Father Forgets’ is timeless
The Gold Standard’ by Coach K. – story of bringing together the Dream Team
Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis – story of bringing a boy into manhood
Lead for God’s Sake by Todd Gongwer
Inside-Out Coaching by Joe Ehrmann – ‘Be a transformational coach rather than a transactional coach’
Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx – about Joe Ehrmann
Leading with the Heart by Mike Krzyzewski
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
The Best-Laid Plans of a High School Basketball CEO by Randy Montgomery and Matt Kramer
The River of Doubt by Candice Millard – about Teddy Roosevelt dealing with defeat by challenging himself to a huge audacious goal
Teaching to Change Lives by Dr. Howard Hendricks
How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey
The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone ‘Never cut anything, never dilute greatness, never pull back on your horsepower, and never put a limit on your ambition, drive, and passion. Demand obsession of yourself and all those around you.’
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
What a Coach can teach a teacher by Tharp&Gallimore – Followed John Wooden and analyzes the % of his communication
The Sports Gene by David Epstein
Mindset by Carol Dweck
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon – Get the energy vampires off the bus and surround yourselves with energy-givers and life-givers
Double goal coach by Jim Thompson of PCA
The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel Siegel
The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Coaching Made Easier: How to Successfully Manage Your Youth Baseball Team—A Step-by-Step Guide to a Rewarding Season by Rod Huff
Coaching Basketball Successfully by Morgan Wootten
Win Forever by Pete Carroll
The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh
Positivity by Barbara Frederickson – Great book for self-talk
The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine

October 21, 2015

WYC 059 – Youth Basketball – Drew Maddux talks Manhood Mondays at CPA and Elite Hoops Basketball

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What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Drew Maddux shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach.

Drew Maddux is the Head Coach at Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) in Nashville. Maddux has a combined record of 240-44, while being ranked in the Top 10 each of those seasons. In 2008 and 2009, Maddux lead his team to the Region 5AA Championship. Maddux has acquired many coaching accomplishments being named the NBCA Coach of the Year in 2008, 2011-2012 District 10-AA Coach of the Year, 2012 Tennessean Coach of the Year, and 2012 Nashville Civitan Coach of the Year. In the 2011-2012 season, he lead to Lions to their first ever State Championship and finished the season an impressive 37-2. In 2012-13, Maddux lead the Lions to another State Championship with another 37-2 record. 2013-14 was yet another great season for Maddux and his program as the posted a record of 34-3 and went to the Final Four Drew has coached 4 Mr. Basketball award winners, 19 players that received college scholarships, and 1 NBA first round draft pick.

From 1994-1998, Maddux was a four year starter at Vanderbilt University where he scored an impressive 1689 points in his career, good for 11th all-time at Vandy. There he received several individual awards including All-SEC Freshman, USA Olympic Festival Team, First Team All-SEC, and Honorable Mention All-American honors. Off the court Maddux was just as impressive being an Academic All-SEC member as well as being recognized as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1998. During his junior year, Maddux averaged a team best 16.8 points 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as he lead his team to the NCAA Tournament.

Drew Maddux first started working with Elite Hoops in 2009 as a Camp Co-Director. Since then, Maddux has been instrumental in growing the Nashville market and in 2014, he will direct 6 NIKE Basketball Camps with over 600 players in attendance.

Twitter: @DrewMaddux; @EliteHoops

Facebook: /EliteHoops

Instagram: /elitehoops

Website: elitehoopsbasketball.com

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Quote

‘We were running the program with a fear-based approach instead of a freedom-based approach.’

Career decisions

Drew had the opportunity to lead a large sales organization, but felt the calling to leave the business world and become a full-time coach

Identity being tied to athletic performance

As an athlete growing up, Drew felt he was only as good as his last sports performance
‘My total mission in coaching is to release that identity-driven performance bug out of the lives of our kids and out of their hearts, and that they would understand and be able to perform with freedom and be able to experience all that they have been provided with.’

Joe Ehrmann’s 3 big lies being told to our kids

Coach Maddux teaches the boys he coaches about the 3 big myths/lies being taught about masculinity:

Ballfield – a man’s worth is based on his athletic performance
Bedroom – a man’s worth is based on his sexual conquests
Boardroom – a man’s worth is based on his business successes

Coach Maddux contrasts these myths by teaching the real truths about what being a man is all about:

Man was built to be in relationships with God, themselves, and others
Man was built to be part of a cause that is bigger than themselves

To see more details about this see here: winningyouthcoaching.com/3-big-lies-2-truths/

My Cringe & ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments

In Drew’s early years he remembers still being too focused on outcomes and placing his worth on the team’s win/loss record
‘We were running the program with a fear-based approach instead of a freedom-based approach.’

Creating a Winning Culture

HUGE IDEA #1

Jim Collins book – Good to Great
Every aspect of your program becomes about excellence – Coach Maddux began an early morning regiment with his coaching staff
Jon Gordon – The Energy Bus – Get the energy vampires off the bus and surround yourselves with energy-givers and life-givers
4 Word Mission statement: ‘Christ-centered, Others focused.’

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

‘It’s not what I know, it’s what the kids know.’ So keep it simple. Be great at 1 or 2 things instead of trying to be great at a bunch of things.

Self-Confidence and teaching kids to achieve peak performance

Boundaried Freedom – Create the culture and boundaries – and then give them the freedom to go make plays

Culture – Discipline/Rewards/Teambuilding

Discipline

Life happens in the gray – every kid we serve have unique situations and unique families
Long-term transformation only happens when you create the right habits
Shared sacrifice with shared accountability

HUGE IDEA #2

Teambuilding

Coach Maddux does not do cuts – if you want to be on the team – you are
Coach has a goal to call every kid’s name to them at some point of every practice
During circle time they’ll call out a few of their leaders to speak a blessing about another player on the team. This creates the culture built on loving each other, complimenting each other, encouraging each other.
Manhood Mondays – every Monday during the season they have different coaches and players create a shield with 4 parts to share with the team:
1. Tell a childhood story that defined them
2. Tell a recent story that defines them
3. How does the public view them
4. Who their private self is

Winning

Excellence and the pursuit of greatness should be a goal. The scoreboard doesn’t define this.

Best Stolen Idea

Billy Donnovan, former Florida Gators and current Oklahoma City Thunder coach, the way he sets up his practices and team to be great passing teams.

Best Book

Season of Life, Jeffrey Marx

The One that Got Away

Drew lost his last game his senior year for the state championship in overtime
Drew lost a game at Vanderbilt to Kentucky at the buzzer
Lessons learned: to keep the game in context, the sun does come up the next day

Elite Hoops Basketball

Located in the Southeast – elitehoopsbasketball.com
Teaches basketball skills and life skills – to live an elite life
3-on-3 leagues, camps

Parting Advice

‘Pick up the trash’ – Use the opportunities given to leave people, places, and things better than we found them