Almost every company has a mission statement. Most companies spend a great deal of time and money crafting theirs because it is supposed to be the guiding principle for all their decisions going forward. So how come (despite the importance placed on mission statements) a majority of them are well-intentioned [...]
In the middle of October of 2010 the NFL decided it was time to take a harsher stand against vicious hits in their games, fining three players a total of $175,000 for hits they made in games the previous Sunday. These fines came down within 24-hours of the hits themselves, [...]
The brawl that took place in the final seconds of the annual “Crosstown Shootout” basketball game between the University of Cincinnati and 8th ranked Xavier University this past weekend was regrettable and embarrassing. There was even the suggestion that assault charges be brought against some of the players involved. Thankfully, [...]
Calling Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly reckless is no different than calling Copernicus, Abraham Lincoln or Joseph Lister reckless. During Copernicus’ time, conventional wisdom was that the Earth was at the center of the Solar System. Copernicus, rather than accepting that common belief, decided to look into other possibilities [...]
I was encouraged to read in yesterday’s newspaper that Rick Neuheisel decided to take responsibility for failing to communicate that he wanted his punter to kick the ball out of bounds, resulting in an 85-yard return for a “Momentum-swinging touchdown” right before halftime. This is the first public act of [...]
Coaches who focus on winning and managers who focus on results are often missing the boat on what it takes to make the most out of the players/workers they have. Great coaches and managers understand that the development and growth of their team is what delivers the results they are [...]
I often speak about the importance of leadership and culture in transforming organizations. There may be no better recent example of this than Larry Scott’s stewardship of the Pac-10, and its expansion into the newly formed Pacific-12 conference. In just a little over two years, Scott has added two worthy [...]
It has been said multiple times, by many different people, that it takes one set of skills to rise to the top of your field, but an entirely different set of skills to stay on top. As female soccer great Mia Hamm said, “It is more difficult to stay on [...]
It’s easy to talk the talk, but much more difficult to walk your talk. By walking your talk, I mean putting actions that match your words behind them, and living your life in a way that is consistent with your words. If you want to be a truly great coach [...]
If I am an NFL general manager spending first round dollars, I want my pick to go for a proven player that has shown a great work ethic throughout his college career. I’m a fan of players with big upsides, but those picks belong in the second round and beyond, [...]