Creating the Perfect Tomorrow

Before going to bed, ask yourself: What will tomorrow look like?

Would you take a test before reviewing your notes? Coach a game without scouting the opponent? Then why would we start a day without thinking ahead of what we want to get out of it?

Step One: Review your personal and professional long-term goals (big picture)

Step Two: Envision success in working towards those goals (small picture).

Step Three: Start with the small tasks (action steps) that can be done TOMORROW to work towards your goals.

Step Four: Do the uncomfortable...that's how we grow.  

Step Five:  Focus and follow through. Set notes/reminders. Email the plan and print it to yourself. Putting ideas into actions is the HARDEST PART!      

Talent is Overrated ... The secret to success? FOLLOW UP

How do world class performers get so good? The common perception is that they are born to do what they do (talent), or they have worked extremely hard to get where they are (work ethic). Research has shown that it has little to do wither either talent or hard work.

Most people will argue that Tiger Woods was BORN to be one of the world's best golfers. There's no doubt that he is very talented and has accomplished things that most others will never accomplish in a lifetime. But in the last post I referred to a book written by Geoff Colvin called "Talent is Overrated". In it, he gives an account of how Tiger got so good at his sport (the short answer: deliberate practice).

The book is a great read because it debunks some common perceptions about how people get so good at what they do and it truly eliminates the mystique of top performers while helping you to realize steps that we can take to improve ourselves.

Paraphrasing from the book:

TIGER WOODS
Woods' father, Earl, was a retired teacher who had a lifelong passion for sports. He was a star baseball player at Kansas State and later coached youth sports teams in addition to teaching cadets in military practices at the City College of New York. He grew to become fanatical about golf and had achieved a handicap in the low single digits, placing him in the top 10% of players. Enter Tiger....he is born into the home of a pretty darn good golfer who loves to teach and is eager to begin teaching his son as soon as possible. Earl is retired and his wife does not work outside the home; they have decided that Tiger would be their first priority.

When Tiger was born, Earl wrote "I had been properly trained and was ready to go. I took over new ground in starting Tiger at an unthinkably early age".

At age 7 months, Earl gives Tiger his first metal club (a putter). He sets up Tiger's high chair in the garage where Earl hits balls into a net and Tiger watches hours on end. Before Tiger is two, they are at the golf course playing and practicing regularly. At age 4, Tiger was being trained by professional teachers.

Neither Tiger or his father suggest that Tiger came into this world with a gift for golf, and Tiger has repeatedly credited his father for his success.

Trying to understand his early interested in the game, Tiger does not talk about an inborn fascination with golf. Rather, he has written, "golf for me was an apparent attempt to emulate the person I looked up to more than anyone: my father".

Another example? Google "Polgar sisters chess".

 Going to post a video interview with the book's author- definitely a great way to spend 5 minutes!

Schedule Your Priorities: The 80/20 Rule

In April 2011, I led a presentation at the WBCA National Convention/Final Four in Indianapolis, IN for the Director of Basketball Operation's Roundtable.

The focus of my presentation was the 80/20 Rule (also known as the Pareto Principle)...essentially, how to effectively maximize results through efficient work habits. Here is a link where you can download the PowerPoint in a PDF format and here are a couple of key points from my presentation:

*There's no such thing as time management; it's all about self-management!

*Organize and execute around priorities...The way you spend your time is a result of the way you see
your time and your priorities (Schedule your priorities; don't prioritize your schedule).

*The Pareto Principle states that 20% of your efforts lead to 80% of your results.
     -In business, 20% of products usually account for 80% of profits 
     -At home, 20% of your clothes get worn 80% of the time
     -In college athletics, 20% of the sports get 80% of the funding
     -On the court, 20% of your offenses will get used 80% of the time

*We have been conditioned to think that high ambition must go with thrusting hyperactivity, long hours, ruthlessness, the sacrifice both of self and others to the cause, and extreme busyness. In short, the rat race.
A much more attractive combination is that of extreme ambition with confidence, relaxation, and a civilized manner. Think of Newton sitting under a tree with an apple....
We have more than enough time! Achievement is driven by insight and selective action.

Here is a link where you can download the PowerPoint in a PDF format.