| Janssen Peak Performance Introduction
To: By Jeff Janssen, M.S., Peak Performance Coach Have you ever wondered why some coaches achieve so much success with their athletes and teams - winning championships and everyones respect along the way - while others continually fall short or struggle to get their teams to play over .500? If you are like most coaches, you have probably found yourself both fascinated and frustrated by the following questions: How do some coaches build and maintain championship level programs year after year even though everyone else is trying desperately to knock them off? How do some coaches come in and resurrect losing programs with a long and demoralizing history of defeat and quickly guide them to a championship level? How do some coaches consistently get the most out of their athletes while others have athletes who chronically underachieve? How do some coaches gain their athletes confidence, trust, and respect while others have athletes who never buy into them and what they are trying to accomplish? How do some coaches inspire their athletes to play with confidence, aggressiveness, and mental toughness while others have athletes who routinely crumble and choke under pressure? How do some coaches get their athletes to willingly "run through walls" for them while others have athletes with little commitment, no work ethic, and bad attitudes? How do some coaches inspire a sense of loyalty and pride in their athletes while others have athletes who look to transfer or, worse yet, instigate a revolt and try to get their coaches fired? It All Starts At the Top The purpose of this book is to provide you with the answers to these intriguing and important leadership questions. After all, these answers are the core of what successful coaching is all about - getting athletes and teams to consistently perform to their full potential. The world's most successful coaches have the special ability to bring out the absolute best in the people they lead. You have probably heard the saying "It all starts at the top." This saying could not be more true when it comes to the kind of impact that you have on your team's success. Your leadership is the key component in deciding whether your team will perform to its potential or fall short of it. Don't get us wrong. Certainly your athletes are a huge part of the success equation. They are the ones who actually play the game and deserve much of the credit when your team does well. Yet without your ability to attract, motivate, develop, discipline, produce, and keep good athletes, your team has little chance of being successful on a consistent basis. As a coach, you are the one who sets the tone for your team and the person who is ultimately responsible for creating a winning environment for your athletes. If the coach is organized, everything falls into place. If he has self-discipline, then the team has discipline. If he's dedicated, the team is dedicated. Everything revolves around the head coach. He's the one who has to make the team go. Ray Nitschke, Former Green Bay Packer Coached by Vince Lombardi An institution is the lengthened shadow
of one man. So if you aspire to be a more successful coach - one who is able to build and maintain a winning program, one who is able to inspire and develop athletes to reach their potential, one who earns his or her athletes trust, loyalty, and respect, and one who creates winners both on and off the court or field, then this book was written specifically for you. Why Not Learn from the Best? Because coaches play such a critical role in creating and maintaining a team's success, we decided to interview many of sports most respected and successful coaches to discover their secrets for developing championship athletes and teams. As Peak Performance Consultants who have worked with some of the nation's top universities including Stanford, Duke, Tennessee, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and several others, we have had the awesome privilege to work with, observe, and interview many of sport's top coaches including: Gary Barnett, Head Football Coach, University of Colorado Coach Barnett resurrected the Northwestern football program from one of nation's worst all the way to the Rose Bowl. Presently, he is the Head Football Coach at the University of Colorado where is in the process of returning the program to one of the nation's best. Mike Candrea, Head Softball Coach, University of Arizona A four-time national coach of the year, Mike Candrea has led Arizona Softball to six national championships. He has developed four National Players of the Year and dozens of All-Americaxns. Coach Candrea will be the head coach for the U.S. Softball national team in the 2004 Olympics. Gail Goestenkors, Head Women's Basketball Coach, Duke University Coach G has guided the Blue Devils to the 1999 Final Four and an appearance in the national championship game. Her Duke teams have won back-to-back ACC regular season and tournament championships. She has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times. Fred Harvey, Head Track and Field Coach, University of Arizona As one of the nation's top sprints coaches, Fred Harvey has developed numerous national champions and Olympic medalists. Mike Krzyzewski, Head Men's Basketball Coach, Duke University With three national championships, three National Coach of the Year awards, and an induction in the basketball Hall of Fame, Mike Krzyzewski is considered one of college basketball's premiere coaches. He also served as an assistant coach with the Olympic Dream Team in 1992. Terry Pettit, Former Head Volleyball Coach, University of Nebraska Coach Pettit built Nebraska into one of the nation's best programs leading the Huskers to six Final Fours and one national championship. Coach Pettit presently serves in a unique position as the Coach Advocate for the University of Nebraska coaching staff. Tom Renney, Director of Player Personnel, New York Rangers Tom Renney led the Canadian national team to a silver medal finish in the Lillehammer Olympics in 1996. He also coached the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. Presently Tom serves as the Director of Player Personnel for the New York Rangers. Rhonda Revelle, Head Softball Coach, University of Nebraska Coach Revelle has led the Huskers to Big 12 conference championships and one Women's College World Series appearance. She is the former president of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Pat Summitt, Head Women's Basketball Coach, University of Tennessee Not only has Coach Summitt led the Lady Vols to six national championships including a rare three-peat in 1996-98, she has been inducted into both the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Leroy Walker, Former North Carolina Central Track Coach Dr. Walker is the former president of United States Olympic Committee. He has coached 77 All-Americans, 40 national champions, and eight Olympians. He was the head men's coach for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team in Montreal in 1976. Dr. Walker has been inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Jerry Welsh, Scout, Milwaukee Bucks Coach Welsh had successful tenures as basketball coach at Potsdam University and Iona College. His teams at Potsdam won two national championship and he was named NCAA Division III Basketball Coach of the Year four times during his career. Roy Williams, Head Men's Basketball Coach, University of North Carolina Coach Williams has led the Jayhawks to two Final Fours and seven Big 12 conference championships. He won more games in the first 12 seasons of his coaching career than anyone else in NCAA history. Mary Wise, Head Volleyball Coach, University of Florida A two-time National Coach of the Year honoree, Coach Wise has led the Gators to an unprecedented 11 SEC conference championships and five Final Four appearances. Jerry Yeagley, Former Head Men's Soccer Coach, Indiana University One of soccer's legendary coaches, Coach Yeagley has coached the Hoosiers to five national championships. Through our interactions and interviews with these championship coaches, you will get a behind-the-scenes look at the seldom-shared strategies they use to get the most out of their athletes and teams. Additionally, we will share stories, insights, and quotes with you from many other highly successful coaches including Joe Torre, Dean Smith, Tommy Lasorda, John Wooden, Tom Osborne, Phil Jackson, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Anson Dorrance, Joe Gibbs, Dan Gable, Vince Lombardi, Rick Pitino, and Bill Walsh. By examining the combined wisdom of so many of sport's top coaches, you too will learn how to unlock and unleash your athletes full potential. "You must study the people who have been successful as leaders. Whether you call it modeling or using a mentor or simply following people in your profession you admire, the method is the same. You have to learn from the people who are successful. You especially have to recognize the traits that enabled them to be successful." Rick Pitino, Louisville Men's Basketball Discover What Athletes Want and Need From You
In addition to interviewing and studying dozens of highly successful coaches, we spoke to hundreds of athletes from almost every sport and level to discover their insights on what it takes to be a successful coach. Thus, you will hear directly from many athletes about specific strategies you can use to help them consistently perform to their potential. And, on the flip side, you will also hear athletes tell you in their own words the things you absolutely must avoid doing. Coaches, CEOs, Managers, Teachers, and Parents
In essence, this book is about how you can get the most out of your people by being an effective leader. Although we use successful sport coaches as our exemplars, the powerful and proven leadership principles presented in this book apply to leaders from all walks of life. Whether you are a CEO, manager, teacher, or parent, you will gain numerous insights and ideas to help you become a more effective and credible leader. Those in the business world can simply substitute the word manager for coach and employee for athlete. Many businesses already use the concept of "coaching" to get the most out of their people. In fact, Federal Express and several other Fortune 500 companies use the principles in this book to gain an essential edge in the competitive corporate arena. Similarly, teachers can also adapt these leadership principles to the classroom setting to earn the respect of their students and take them to new levels of achievement and personal growth. Additionally, parents can use these principles to develop powerful and loving relationships with their children based on mutual respect and trust. "I still think the most important aspects of coaching are credibility, trust, and communication. If you have those things going for you in football, you'll win. And if you have them going for you as a business executive, you will win, too. They are the fundamental building blocks to success in any field." Marty Schottenheimer, San Diego Chargers Let’s Begin Our Journey So no matter what kind of leader you are or what type of team you lead, if you aspire to be the kind of coach who helps people develop to their full potential, then this book is definitely for you. Throughout the book, you will learn proven strategies that will help you create more confident, committed, and coachable athletes. In Chapter 1, you'll discover how highly successful coaches define success. In Chapter 2 you will learn how to earn your athletes and colleagues' respect by being a credible coach. In Chapter 3 you will learn the benefits of being a credible coach and why it is the absolute key for getting the most out of your athletes. In Chapter 4 you will discover the seven secrets that successful coaches have in common. Chapter 5 covers a variety of developmental stages in which you might find yourself as your coaching philosophy evolves over time. Chapter 6 provides you with a step-by-step process for assessing and improving your credibility. Chapters 7-13 take an in depth look at each of the seven secrets of successful coaches, giving you a wealth of practical tips for building your credibility as well as sustaining it over the long term. Plus, at the end of each chapter, we will feature some of sport's best coaches as they share their wisdom on what it takes to be a successful coach. We look forward to accompanying you on your journey to getting the absolute most out of the people you lead. We truly believe that this book will have a tremendous impact on your overall success and satisfaction as a coach/leader, which in turn will positively affect the success and satisfaction of the people you lead. Thanks for letting us join you on your journey! © Jeff Janssen. Please contact us if you would like permission to reproduce any of these copyrighted articles in your publication or company website. All articles must include the the following at the end: Jeff Janssen helps companies gain and sustain a competitive advantage by building effective leaders, high-performance teams, and engaged employees. For more information on Jeff’s programs and resources, visit www.jeffjanssen.com or call toll free 1-888-721-TEAM.se Window |