One of my favorite clips from the 2016 World Series was Chicago Cubs star, Anthony Rizzo, asking David Ross for advice on how to handle the pressure of the moment. “I can’t control myself right now. I’m an emotional wreck.” Ross, the veteran catcher, responds with this comforting advice, “It’s only going to get worse. […]
In 2014, Pittsburgh Panther running back, James Conner, was on top of the world. At the conclusion of the season he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Offensive Player of the Year. James had his mind set on having an even better 2015 season that would position him to enter the NFL draft in […]
Facing Reality: Not for the Weak I am convinced one of the biggest competitive advantages lies in an individual’s or organization’s ability to face reality. The best athletes, leaders, teams and businesses can analyze a situation accurately. To help best demonstrate the idea of facing reality here is a sports scenario: Sports Application: Three […]
In 1997 two McDonald’s All-Americans stepped on Dukes’ campus. Shane Battier, was named the high school player of the year out of Detroit Country Day in Michigan. The other player was reigning Mr. Basketball of New York, Elton Brand. Both players eventually became National Players of the Year. Their paths to achievement, however, were quite […]
The author and speaker, Tim Ferris, asks his podcast guests: “If you could write a word or a phrase on a billboard what would it be?” One of my messages would be, “Dominate your Current Role.” Many people have a negative attitude toward “small” and “unimportant” jobs. This flawed mindset leads to missed opportunities. Filling […]
Recently, I was speaking at an event. During the presentation, I discussed the importance of creating clarity. The example I used was our baseball program’s five and ten-year plan. Following the discussion one man asked, “How do you get young people to buy into a vision ten years out when they won’t even be there?” […]
The term, Mental Toughness, is talked about frequently. In the coaching world, we tend to make quick judgements on our athletes’ mental toughness. When players don’t perform well in so called big moments, they are often labeled as mentally weak. Before slapping a permanent tag on athletes (and people in general) it is important to […]
One of the great gifts an athlete can possess is the ability to know their identity. It doesn’t matter the sport, knowing and playing to your strengths is critical. In baseball, it’s the guy who doesn’t have great power but he has a knack for getting on base. He doesn’t try to “go yard” or […]
My 8-year old son had a baseball tournament last Sunday. I was able to watch the first game, but I had to miss the rest of the day. As I was leaving the field I felt terribly guilty. First, I was missing his game. Second, I was leaving my wife to take care of our […]
Recently, NBA TV showed a video montage of Steve Kerr interacting with his star player, Steph Curry. In the clips, you see Coach Kerr discussing Curry’s value to the team despite his poor shooting statistics during the game. “You’re doing great stuff out there. The tempo is so different when you’re out there. Everything you […]