Athletics
Nine Ways Student Athletes Can Best Manage Their Energy and Time
10shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn This past month, I spent time with more than 650 NCAA student athletes. When I asked several of them what their number one challenge was, the overwhelming response was “time management.” I heard statements like: I just wish I had more hours in my day. It’s almost impossible to…
Continue ReadingWhat If Leadership Didn’t Just Come from the Team Captain?
5shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn The first Monday Night Football game of 2019 between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints was a great one. “The Saints took possession with 37 seconds remaining in the game, used 36 of those seconds to drive to the Texans’ 40-yard line, and put Wil Lutz on…
Continue ReadingThe First Two Steps in a Student’s Leadership Journey
9shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn A great news story broke not long ago in Denver, Colorado. On July 15th, 23-year old Nathan Patterson was attending a Colorado Rockies ballgame. At Coors Field, like in most baseball stadiums today, there are amusements all over the stadium for fans who get bored just watching the game.…
Continue ReadingThe Danger of Single Sport Athletes
26shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Parents have made another shift in a single generation. While parents raising Millennials became famous for giving trophies or ribbons to their children just for participating, parents of Generation Z (often Millennial parents) have pushed their kids to the other extreme, driving them to compete at a high level…
Continue ReadingThe Connection Between Incentive and Entitlement
8shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I have two friends who are sales people. Neither of them receives a base salary for their job, but both are making a good paycheck each month. They work completely off of commissions. When they make a sale, they make some money. Not only is their career going well,…
Continue ReadingMental Toughness Exercises for You and Your Students
23shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Did you know some of the greatest examples of “mental toughness” are unlikely heroes who failed or performed poorly prior to their rise to achievement? In other words, they all experienced a setback before they made a comeback: Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player in history, with seven Wimbledon…
Continue ReadingThe Role of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Student Athletes
11shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I just spent some time with athletic coaches from the Southeastern Conference. These are stellar people, many of whom have coached for decades. And they are coaching at the Division One level, the highest tier for student-athletes. So, I was a bit surprised when three of them spoke to…
Continue ReadingHow Nick Saban Develops Grit in His Players
20shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Coach Nick Saban came up with a new way to define mental toughness for his football team. During spring training, 2018, the national champion head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide told a story to his players. While Saban was weather-proofing his Florida home, storm windows were being chosen…
Continue ReadingWhy Today’s Athletes Are Lonely & What to Do About It
18shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I’m not sure what you think NBA players do between games, but my guess is, it’s wrong. Those young players are not merely signing autographs, attending parties in their honor and soaking up culture and society. According to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, many of them are lonely. In fact,…
Continue ReadingWhat Parents Should Say as Their Kids Perform
In my work at Growing Leaders, we enjoy the privilege of serving numerous NCAA and professional sports teams each year. After meeting with hundreds of coaches and athletes, I noticed an issue kept surfacing in our conversations. Both the student-athlete and the coach were trying to solve the same problem. What was that problem?
The parents of the student-athletes.
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