In my previous entry on parenting I focused on the importance of modeling and teaching children patience and self-control. In this one, I will focus on the necessity for parents to challenge their children and allow them to fail. This is very hard for some parents and especially those who [...]
This is a common problem, where people are so focused on certain details, that they are unable to see the “bigger picture.” A simple example of this would be a parent who criticizes their child’s penmanship, while their child is bringing home straight A’s. A more complex example would be [...]
Several of my clients have asked me to write a few blog entries focused on parenting. First, I do not claim to be the best parent around. I make mistakes all the time, but I am consistently trying to learn and get better at it. That said, I do believe [...]
Let’s start with the similarities: both coach top national football programs. Both are known for their offensive mind. Both refuse to talk about player injuries. Both work for athletic directors that did not hire them. Both have big egos. Both have last names that start with the letter K followed [...]
Four Pac-12 schools will begin this season with new head coaches running their respective programs: Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State. When a new coach arrives, he normally not only brings an entirely new staff with him, but also a brand new culture as well. Though every coach is [...]
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 [...]
I often talk about the importance of culture and character in building a team, whether it is in sports or in business. Despite overwhelming evidence that point to the importance of both of these factors in sustained success, very few teams and businesses pay little more than lip service to [...]
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 [...]
Why do some people in leadership positions seem to get so much more out of their people than others? There are a multitude of reasons why and I could not possibly cover all of them here. So I am going to focus on a few of the ones I have [...]
Have you ever wondered why some teams and businesses are consistently successful and others come and go? How has IBM been able to stay at or near the top of the business world for over half a century? Why are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics always at or near the top while the Los Angeles Clippers are perennially at or near the bottom? How could four of the five top teams in the current BCS rankings, have achieved those rankings without having a single top 20 ranked recruiting class in any of the past five years between them?