Blog

Life is a Team Sport

In sports, the most successful teams build a culture of inclusion, trust and altruism. Teams simply can’t win consistently without embodying these and other key values. It doesn’t matter the sport, the league, or the level – the common denominator is that excellent teams put a premium on building a positive culture. Sure, being in…

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Be Good to You

Photo by Laurenz Kleinheider on Unsplash I surveyed a college team I work with, and asked them what they could use some help with. The majority of the responses centered around dealing with negative self-talk. As college athletes pushing themselves to their limits, making mistakes is simply part of the game right? What’s also part…

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The Nantucket Project

/ Team Photo I recently attended a 4 day conference, The Nantucket Project. The theme of the 11th TNP was “pluralism.” Among the dozens of speakers – including Michelle Obama, Ken Burns, Rainn Wilson, Kelly Corrigan, Jennifer Lawrence, Arthur Brooks, Laura Ingram, and Brad Raffensperger (list goes on and on) – was Eboo Patel, whose…

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Are you on course?

Photo by Ruben Christen on Unsplash I get lost sometimes. Whether I’m in a new building, a parking garage looking for my car, or out on the roadways, sometimes I make a wrong turn. The other day I was on my boat fishing, and I noticed that the compass was cloudy and a little hard…

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Running on Faith

Faith, defined by Webster’s: “A firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” Great athletes and great teams believe they can win despite having no proof. Great coaches instill faith in their players. Faith doesn’t always come naturally. It takes practice.  Most athletes have been on both sides of the faith coin. I’ve…

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Coach, Your Players Well

A recent dinner with a beloved old coach prompted this post. It’s back to school time. Which means back to the practice field for millions of athletes across the country. As summer cedes to fall, student-athletes put their training to the test; each one on a unique journey of self-discovery and character development. And at…

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The Walk to Baker

A successful team is all about the depth and quality of its relationships. We tend to see team members through the lens of their role i.e “linebacker,” “point guard,” “marketing director,” “daughter.” When we view people through the lens of role, we miss out on a far more powerful – indeed more human – way…

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Circle Up

The Circle I can’t recall when we made this change while I was coaching, but like many teams, and certainly most of the ones I was ever on as a player, we organized our pre game stretching routine in lines, led by the captains and facing in the direction of the opposing team. It always…

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Introducing The Practice

Hi All! It’s been a while since I’ve written and I want to fill you in on a new direction for my blog that I am now calling “The Practice.” I renamed my blog The Practice in part because a lot of what I do and think about, reverts back to my background as an…

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Hard Things

This Is Why You Should Do Hard Things When was the last time you made a commitment to doing something but didn’t do it? For most of us, this happens on a regular basis. It could be something small, like getting the dishes done before bedtime. Or something big, like running ten miles. Though these…

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