15 Best Books for Leaders

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."

ABE LINCOLN

As a basketball coach, I have a tremendous opportunity to lead and influence people every day.  Certainly leadership involves a great many things, however, I have found that constantly learning and re-learning methods, strategies, and insights gives me a better chance to lead in a positive manner.  Reading books is one of the key resources that I utilize in trying to sharpen my leadership skills.  Every once in awhile, I'll even read a book again because it was so good.  Below are some of the books that I'd recommend highly for anyone seeking to be a better leader. These are not necessarily coaching books, but a variety of books that hit upon a number of key leadership areas. With summer fast approaching, maybe go to your local library or go online and get a copy of any of these books that you haven't read.  You won't be disappointed with the valuable insights in these books.

 

1. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (Dale Carnegie) 
2. "Good to Great"  (Jim Collins) 
3. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"  (Stephen Covey)    

4. "Leadership Is An Art"  (Max De Pree)

5. "Leadership"   (Rudolph Giuliani)

6. "The Leadership Lessons of Colin Powell"  (Oren Harari) 
7. "War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick & the Art of Building the Perfect Team" (Michael Holley)
8.  "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln"   (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
9.  "Leading with the Heart"   (Mike Krzyzewski) 
10. "Reach for the Summit"   (Sally Jenkins)
11. "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty"   (Harvey Mackay) 

12. "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership"  (John Maxwell)
13. "Joe Torre's Ground Rules for Winners"  (Joe Torre)
14. "The Paradox of Power"  (Pat Williams)

15. "It's Called WORK For A Reason"   (Larry Winget)

Wish List for Coaches (hint, hint...wink, wink)

If administrators knew...what most coaches would like.

1. Job Security
2. Support (especially when it comes to ungrateful or delusional parents and players)
3. Stable Assistant Coaching Situation
4. Plenty of Heads up when important things change (scholarships, budget, etc...)
5. Incentives as a head coach.  Yes, we are getting paid to do many different things. 
6. No Fund-Raising
7. 
   

Mistakes Coaches Make in the Job Search Process

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1. Bad Boy Scout
2. No Questions
3. Negativity
4. Job Ownership
5. Bad Fit
6. Rushed Decision-Making
7. Ignoring Red Flags
8. Presentation
9. Assumptions
10. Overconfidence

Mistakes Some Administrators Make During Coaching Job Searches

Having been quite the student of the job searches of coaches and having gone through a number of job searches myself, I have discovered some things that are done during the processes that are not the most optimal behaviors.  There is not a perfect method to hiring coaches.  Every athletic director, search committee or university administrator has a different perspective on what is needed for the job.  It is always amazing to me when the search process leads to weird behaviors among those that are charged with leading the program further.  Below are some of my observations (right or wrong) throughout the years.

1. Checking only references provided by the applicant.  Unless, the applicant expressly asks that you not contact their current employers, why would you not do that?  First of all, shouldn't you want to know all you can about the candidate?  Secondly, isn't it common courtesy to ask for permission or inform the other school that you are interviewing one of their coaches.  By the way, shame on those administrators that get mad at their coaches for applying for a job without telling them but then end up hiring someone away from a job without informing the other school.
2. Hiring the "latest, greatest up-and-comer".  True, the coach that seems to have all of the momentum just may keep that momentum going into your job.  However, there is also the very real possibility that *******************
3. Lazy Questioning During Interview
4. Settling and Compromising
5. Not Including the Family
6. Not Including the Current Staff
7. Handshake Agreements or Day-to-Day Contracts
8. Silly Comments
9. Knee Jerk Reactions
10. Rushed or Hurried Interview Process
11. Not Being Prepared.  Short list.
12. Lack of True Direction
13. Bad Fit
14. On-the-Job Training
15.  

Championship Lessons Learned at NAIA National Tournament

From March 10-20, I spent time serving on the NAIA National Tournament Committee.  It was a bittersweet experience.  Meeting all the coaches, watching all the games, observing many practices and helping the tournament run smoothly was great.  However, it was difficult watching the teams play knowing that we had been fairly close to qualifying ourselves.  If only we'd won 1-2 more games, we might have been one of the 32-teams that earned a bid.  I must say that Rob Edmission's Oklahoma City University team was extremely impressive throughout the entire tournament.  They beat Union University in the championship game, which is no small feat.  As I watched the games and thought about how to get my team to the tournament, I came up with some observations. In no particular order, I have listed them below.  

1. "Want to" is not the same as "committed to".  Everyone wants to win, but these teams were committed to winning.  They were committed to the process.  They were willing to do extra.  They invested a great deal into achieving their goals.
2. Your roster, talent or "potential" are not as important as the way you actually play.
3. You have to have a point guard that is legit.
4. Whether you have a team of stars or a star with special role players, they must be the hardest workers. The Final Four teams were some of the hardest working teams I have seen.  Prima-donnas and entitled players don't work at the national tournament.
5. You can't let distractions sidetrack you. Coach yelling at you...not getting enough shots...don't like playing at 8:30am.  Doesn't matter. Dysfunction doesn't work.  Drama doesn't win.  Distractions are not acceptable.
6. Many of the same teams go to nationals. It is not always because of politics. Rather, I think it has to do with culture. Those teams have a culture of winning. It permeates what they do year in and year out. They expect to win but they don't take it for granted. The go out and earn what they get.
7. All-Americans are legit. I saw talented players not named First-Team All-American. However, the players that were on the First-Team were very deserving. They impacted the games they were in. They earned what they got. They were not just talented, but they played like they were the best. They made a difference on nearly every play.
8. There is a fine line between winning and losing at the national tournament. Upsets are likely. Unlike the "Big Dance", there are only 32 teams in the NAIA tourney. 25 ranked teams and then 7 others. That means there are very few gimmees, if any. One bracket saw the 5-8 seeds beat the 1-4 seeds. Outside of the best two teams (Union and Oklahoma City), there was very little differences.
9. Scoring is important, but you NEED a strong defense to win. Defenses were varied, but no team with only an offense made it very far in the tournament. In fact, one of the #1 seeds (Freed Hardeman) had one of the top defenses in the nation coming into the tourney. For some reason, their defense (and their rebounding) was not in attendance in their first round double-overtime upset loss.
10. Pressure defense and trapping are very effective (even against skilled offensive players) provided, the players work hard, don't foul, are athletic and rotate quickly and effectively.

DON'T BE A TWIT ... twitter rules to live by

I am fairly new to the world of social media, especially twitter.  I have an account and have composed some tweets.  However, don't expect me to twit anyone back.  I also just learned in the last week that "dm" isn't short for "you da man".  "Direct Message" makes more sense. I kind of thought that it was strange when people would keep asking me to "dm" them.  Okay, whatever dawg...u da man!  Anyway, I believe the twitter universe is here for the long haul and I must get used to it.  More importantly, my players have embraced it so I guess I need to learn a little something about it.  I came across two great articles about tweeting.  The first is "100 Twitter Rules To Live By", which was written by Darren Rovell (a sports business expert for CNBC).   The second "50 Twitter Tips for Division I Student Athletes" was written by Tom Satkowiak, who works in the athletic media relations off at the University of Tennessee, is a good read for anyone but especially college athletes.  Some of my favorites are:

• Twitter has not made texting obsolete.  I hate reading messages to others that are just specific to them.  Text them, call them, or lean over 4 feet and just talk to them. 
• Before hitting send, ask yourself if you would be comfortable with the message if your mom, pastor or grandma read it.  At this rate, no one will be qualified to run for president in 20 years, as everyone will have tweeted too many things they are ashamed of.
• Don't shirk responsibility for what you tweet just because it didn't originate with you...so what!?!
• If you would delete the tweet a few days later, if you could, then don't tweet it to begin with.
• Don't air dirty laundry.
• Like anything else, enjoy it responsibly.

March Madness Brackets

Let the Madness begin!  The brackets were revealed yesterday, which means today was not a good day for "going green".  How many trees we are responsible for killing is probably a number that will never be known.  However, if you are like me, you'll be printing out a bunch of different brackets.  You'll have your 'upset' bracket, your 'favorites' bracket, your 'pick with the head' bracket, your 'pick with your heart' bracket, your 'mascot' bracket, your 'school colors' bracket, and finally your 'bracket of integrity', which is never the one that wins the office pool.  Keith Lipscomb, a college buddy of mine, is an editor for ESPN Fantasy Games.  He just released an article on ESPN.com that is the ultimate in getting information for filling out your bracket and giving you the best chance to beat out your wife and her crazy picks! Click on the link below for all the information you need.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/tcmen12trends/2012-men-ncaa-tournament-bracket-trends-consider-making-picks-field-68