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Friday, March 27, 2015
Playing your cards wrong can cost you business. Here's the solution.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Lost your customer at hello? Here's the solution.
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Friday, March 13, 2015
Positive Self-talk: A Cornerstone for Great Winners
by Don Yaeger:
But the way they choose to respond to their shortcomings–how they talk to themselves after a loss–reveals much about their personal character.
Even the Greatest winners… fail from time to time.
But the way they choose to respond to their shortcomings–how they talk to themselves after a loss–reveals much about their personal character.
When it comes to engaging our teammates or colleagues after a loss, most of us are supportive and encouraging. Maybe they took a bad shot or didn’t land the client they were working towards; whatever the case, we are usually willing to give them a pat on the back and a pep talk that says, “You’ll get it next time!”.
But when those disappointments happen to us, our self-talk can be brutal. We can obsessively dissect and break ourselves down in ways that work against our ability to improve, and we say things to ourselves that we’d never say to our teammates. Rather than quietly reassuring ourselves that our next shot will go in, we often just replay the misses in our minds as a kind of punishment.
Becky Burleigh, head coach of the University of Florida women’s soccer team, has yielded incredible results by instilling character development and positive self-talk into the culture of her team. In her tenure, the Gators have won thirteen conference championships and a national championship. She shared with me the way she works with her players on individual development and it’s fascinating.
Burleigh improves team performance by teaching her players to talk to themselves like they would talk to their teammates. “For me, a lot of players will ask ‘How do I get out of my own head?’ So we talk a lot about the way you speak to yourself, and one of the character skills that our team decided to work on was positivity,” she said. “If you had the perfect coach sitting on your shoulder in that moment, what would they say to you? How would they say it? And then we would ask them to practice using that content and tone with themselves when they are in that heightened sense of awareness.”
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| 2014-2015 University of Florida Women's Soccer Team |
In truth, many of us—myself included—are our own biggest critics. Instead of pummeling ourselves with negative criticism after a shortcoming, perhaps we should try to refocus that energy into how we can positively approach our mistake or problem. The Great ones in sports and business know that every outcome, whether good or bad, is an opportunity for growth. If we look at things from that perspective, in time we can become our own biggest fans… even in a loss!
Many of us would reach down to help our teammates up after a mistake, and we should do the same for ourselves. When was the last time you patted yourself on the back and said, “I’ll get it next time”? I have been trying to learn from Becky Burleigh and her lessons in developing better self-talk, and I hope you will too.
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Learning through Winning: Three Successful Lessons from the Kentucky Wildcats
by Don Yaeger
The undefeated Kentucky Wildcats are inching closer to a perfect regular season and it's exciting to watch.
The other night's game against Georgia, which Kentucky rallied to win 72-64, was among the best I’ve seen this season. But each Kentucky win prompts the same question from sports media pundits: Would the Wildcats be better off now losing a game in order to lessen the pressure of maintaining an undefeated season before entering the NCAA tournament? Remember, no team has finished the college basketball season as an undefeated champion since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.
It’s absolutely one of the silliest debates on sports radio right now. (Which is saying a lot, since there are many silly debates on sports radio!) To me, the idea that a high-performing team like Kentucky is better off losing makes absolutely no sense.
While it is important to learn from your losses, one of the things that makes GREAT teams special is their ability to learn from their wins, too. The most successful teams and organizations know they are never perfect in victory.
Out of all the amazing coaches I’ve had a chance to learn from throughout my career, none of them would suggest that the only way to learn was by losing, or that pressure is somehow lightened with defeat. In my study of successful teams, they are all equally critical in breaking down their performance… especially after success! There is no question that John Calipari, head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, is doing just that. I’ve had a chance to work with Coach Calipari while doing media training for his players. I’ve also interviewed him for my Great Teams webinar project, and he had some interesting comments to share with me on the value of team-building, recruiting, and maintaining consistency.
I wish that the media pundits who are giving life to this debate
would put it aside, and simply enjoy the fact that there is a team out
there creating something special. It takes world-class coaching and
strong, consistent culture to take all-star players, platoon them to
work together, get them to play suffocating defense and have the ability
to replace talent, year after year. This is unique, special stuff. You
don’t have to like Kentucky—in fact, you can hate them—but you should
want to learn from them… just as they are learning from each of their
wins.
I’d love to hear from you on the lessons you may have learned through your own success and winning. Leave me a comment and let’s discuss!
The other night's game against Georgia, which Kentucky rallied to win 72-64, was among the best I’ve seen this season. But each Kentucky win prompts the same question from sports media pundits: Would the Wildcats be better off now losing a game in order to lessen the pressure of maintaining an undefeated season before entering the NCAA tournament? Remember, no team has finished the college basketball season as an undefeated champion since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.
It’s absolutely one of the silliest debates on sports radio right now. (Which is saying a lot, since there are many silly debates on sports radio!) To me, the idea that a high-performing team like Kentucky is better off losing makes absolutely no sense.
While it is important to learn from your losses, one of the things that makes GREAT teams special is their ability to learn from their wins, too. The most successful teams and organizations know they are never perfect in victory.
Out of all the amazing coaches I’ve had a chance to learn from throughout my career, none of them would suggest that the only way to learn was by losing, or that pressure is somehow lightened with defeat. In my study of successful teams, they are all equally critical in breaking down their performance… especially after success! There is no question that John Calipari, head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, is doing just that. I’ve had a chance to work with Coach Calipari while doing media training for his players. I’ve also interviewed him for my Great Teams webinar project, and he had some interesting comments to share with me on the value of team-building, recruiting, and maintaining consistency.
If you seek to create a championship atmosphere for your team, like
Coach Calipari, then you should be equally critical in your team’s
performance after victories as you are after losses. Don’t discount the
team’s successes, but don’t be so blinded by wins that you miss moments
to grow.
I’d love to hear from you on the lessons you may have learned through your own success and winning. Leave me a comment and let’s discuss!
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Sales Intelligence via Blog Searching
by Sam Richter
Content marketing has, to some degree, taken over search engine optimization as a way for companies to drive traffic to their websites. Write educational articles that provide real value – and that subtly mention the company’s products and services – and others will forward the information to their friends, all with hope that the holy grail of online marketing occurs and that the article goes viral.
Because posting content online is so easy, consumers also write and post articles about products and companies. Sometimes these articles feature positive reviews. More often than not, consumers share their gripes online about a poor-performing product or inept customer support, hoping that an audience of thousands or even millions will convince a company to change its ways.
The vehicle that many companies and people use to post their information online is a blog. Blogs are real-time online Web logs, or “diaries,” on just about any topic imaginable. Content management platforms like WordPress make it easy for anyone to create a blog. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook make it easy for anyone to distribute their content worldwide.
It’s estimated that there are more than 150 million blogs, some updated infrequently, some adding new content daily. On WordPress alone, more than 400 million people view nearly 20 billion pages each month. To grab attention, blog posts must continually provide value with companies and individuals sharing inside information about future products, new ideas, industry research, and more.
Because you’ll often find information in a blog post that you might not find on a company web site or in traditional media, searching blogs is a great source of sales intelligence and competitive research.
Google used to have a very powerful blog search engine, but in 2014, they discontinued the public service. The good news is YouGotBlogs.com
came online in 2015, and it is designed to specifically search blogs
and blog posts. In addition, because of its multi-field form, there is
less of a need to use complex Boolean logic in your search than you
might with a typical search engine.
Type in the name of a company, or even a person, that you’re interested in learning about and there’s a chance you might get lucky and find something valuable. If you get too many results, re-enter your search but this time add more keywords related to what you desire, e.g., marketing, sales, etc. Note that the default “All” tab will show results from across the Web. Click the “Blog Posts” tab to limit your results to blogs and/or blog posts that contain your search terms. Click the “Relevancy” tab to sort by relevancy to your terms, or by post date.
One note of caution: Remember that anybody can write about or comment on anything online, so what you read in a blog might not necessarily be true. Don’t assume the information you read in a blog post is factual. Verify it via other sources and when meeting with a prospect or client, don’t quote blog content as fact; rather, use it to ask better questions.
Content marketing has, to some degree, taken over search engine optimization as a way for companies to drive traffic to their websites. Write educational articles that provide real value – and that subtly mention the company’s products and services – and others will forward the information to their friends, all with hope that the holy grail of online marketing occurs and that the article goes viral.
Because posting content online is so easy, consumers also write and post articles about products and companies. Sometimes these articles feature positive reviews. More often than not, consumers share their gripes online about a poor-performing product or inept customer support, hoping that an audience of thousands or even millions will convince a company to change its ways.
The vehicle that many companies and people use to post their information online is a blog. Blogs are real-time online Web logs, or “diaries,” on just about any topic imaginable. Content management platforms like WordPress make it easy for anyone to create a blog. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook make it easy for anyone to distribute their content worldwide.
It’s estimated that there are more than 150 million blogs, some updated infrequently, some adding new content daily. On WordPress alone, more than 400 million people view nearly 20 billion pages each month. To grab attention, blog posts must continually provide value with companies and individuals sharing inside information about future products, new ideas, industry research, and more.
Because you’ll often find information in a blog post that you might not find on a company web site or in traditional media, searching blogs is a great source of sales intelligence and competitive research.
Type in the name of a company, or even a person, that you’re interested in learning about and there’s a chance you might get lucky and find something valuable. If you get too many results, re-enter your search but this time add more keywords related to what you desire, e.g., marketing, sales, etc. Note that the default “All” tab will show results from across the Web. Click the “Blog Posts” tab to limit your results to blogs and/or blog posts that contain your search terms. Click the “Relevancy” tab to sort by relevancy to your terms, or by post date.
One note of caution: Remember that anybody can write about or comment on anything online, so what you read in a blog might not necessarily be true. Don’t assume the information you read in a blog post is factual. Verify it via other sources and when meeting with a prospect or client, don’t quote blog content as fact; rather, use it to ask better questions.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
In Remembrance of Jerry Tarkanian
by Don Yaeger
The year was 1989. I had authored my first book about the NCAA and its “justice system.” The book hadn’t sold many copies, but those who had purchased it expressed hope in its message. One of the people who liked the book was Jerry Tarkanian, head coach of the University of Nevada Las Vegas men’s basketball team. He had been through a very long battle with the NCAA—considered then to be the most powerful organization in sports—over allegations that he’d cheated as a head coach.
As was his nature, Tarkanian, the son of a resilient Armenian immigrant, didn’t take the NCAA accusations quietly. His family had faced many perils—his mother even survived the Armenian genocide—and they taught him always to stand strong against adversity. Tarkanian’s defiant spirit consistently fascinated me. At the time, I had only written one book and yet he offered me the opportunity to tell his side of the story. Truthfully, as a young man with a budding career, I hadn’t earned that opportunity…but he trusted me.
All of us have had someone give us a break and trusted us to do things we haven’t yet proven we could. Tarkanian was that guy for me. I had the opportunity last month to sit with him and thank him…words I wished I had said many years ago. I’m saddened today to learn of his death.
Recently, two icons of basketball passed away. I didn’t know Dean Smith well, but I loved Jerry Tarkanian. He lived a truly Great life and will be dearly missed.
The year was 1989. I had authored my first book about the NCAA and its “justice system.” The book hadn’t sold many copies, but those who had purchased it expressed hope in its message. One of the people who liked the book was Jerry Tarkanian, head coach of the University of Nevada Las Vegas men’s basketball team. He had been through a very long battle with the NCAA—considered then to be the most powerful organization in sports—over allegations that he’d cheated as a head coach.
As was his nature, Tarkanian, the son of a resilient Armenian immigrant, didn’t take the NCAA accusations quietly. His family had faced many perils—his mother even survived the Armenian genocide—and they taught him always to stand strong against adversity. Tarkanian’s defiant spirit consistently fascinated me. At the time, I had only written one book and yet he offered me the opportunity to tell his side of the story. Truthfully, as a young man with a budding career, I hadn’t earned that opportunity…but he trusted me.All of us have had someone give us a break and trusted us to do things we haven’t yet proven we could. Tarkanian was that guy for me. I had the opportunity last month to sit with him and thank him…words I wished I had said many years ago. I’m saddened today to learn of his death.
Recently, two icons of basketball passed away. I didn’t know Dean Smith well, but I loved Jerry Tarkanian. He lived a truly Great life and will be dearly missed.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
In Celebration of a Miracle
It’s hard to believe that 35 years ago today, our U.S. Olympic hockey team—comprised of college players—took on the heavily-favored Soviets in the gold medal match. It was an event known as “the Miracle on Ice” and would become one of the Greatest sports upsets of all time.
It was an uncertain time. A nationwide recession gripped the country. Oil prices and interest rates were high. U.S. hostages were being held in Iran. Our country was in need of positivity, and with the defeat of the Soviets, the U.S. team became a much needed symbol of hope and perseverance both at the time and a generation or more later!I had a chance to get inside how that special team pulled that upset when I worked with goalkeeper Jim Craig, the heart and soul of that team, on our book Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons from America’s Miracle Team. I’ll never forget the leadership and teamwork lessons he shared with me…and I’d like to present those to you.
I’m going to give you a quick excerpt of our book. Take a moment to examine Craig’s lesson on personal sacrifice, and apply it to your own life. I hope you find it inspirational!
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From page 56 of Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons from America’s Miracle Team…
When I preach and teach the notion of personal sacrifice, I am not talking merely about putting in long hours on the practice field and in the office. It is not just about a willingness to hurt more out on the ice or to get into the classroom early or to study late at the library. I am talking about a far bigger concept. I am talking about a constellation of giving, deprivation, and even suffering. And this sacrifice isn’t just about you; it never can be. It is also about all the people around you- your family, your friends, and your mentors. They are all drawn in and sacrifice is demanded from all of them on your path to greatness.
To a man, every player on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team will tell you that their own individual path to Lake Placid and the podium was one supported along the way by many people- and many people had to give their time, love, and commitment to make a dream happen.
And it starts early. I remember my youth hockey days. I launched my career when I was eight years old and in third grade. Easton had a vibrant youth hockey league, with three levels, maybe 20 teams, and hundreds of kids playing. Of course, the league didn’t run on its own; it wasn’t on autopilot. It was supported by scores of parents and other adults who contributed hundreds of hours every season to organize practices and games- and to shuttle my friends and I to and from rinks. And with so many local towns and cities having their own youth hockey programs- and since there were not many rinks in the area- ice time was at a premium and you took it when you could get it. That meant practice happened before school, at five or six in the morning. So you got up at 4:30 or 5:00 and your parents took shifts driving the kids to one of the rinks, which could be 10 or 15 miles away. They always stuck around for practice- and then they drove us home. And then we went to school and they went to work.
Did the uniforms and equipment magically appear? Nope. Someone had to spring for all that- and the funds were drummed up through parents digging deep, us players canning at local supermarkets, local merchants cutting a check, and adults and kids working together to plan and run fundraisers.
Again, it is a constellation of sacrifice.
When you notch it up and dare to try and work for greatness- and this applies no matter in what field you are going for the gold- then the magnitude of sacrifice demands and requires one to hurt physically and emotionally. It will also make emotional demands on those who love and care about you.
Remember that.
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The unorthodox pairing of our country's best collegiate hockey players resulted in a true "miracle!"
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If you would like to read more about the compelling story and leadership lessons behind the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, you can order Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons from America’s Miracle Team from my website!
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