General Colin Powell's 13 Rules on Leadership
For the Basketball Coach
BY ITS MOST BASIC definition, coaching is leadership. In fact, coaches are always writing books on coaching philosophy, success, motivation, and leadership.
But no bibliography on leadership could be considered complete without recognition of My American Journey by retired General Colin Powell, the architect of America's great victory in the Gulf War.
General Powell's book is more than an autobiography. It is a study of leadership in which the General discusses 13 rules for effective leadership that can serve as a coaching philosophy for basketball and probably every other sport.
RULE #1
It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
Anyone who coaches young men and women is inevitably going to do a few things wrong, lose some games, make some bad decisions, and have a few unfortunate incidents. It may seem trite to say, but no matter how disappointing the loss, the morning light will usher in new opportunities and challenges.
Our team is rarely as bad as we think in the moments immediately following a loss. The next morning will usually provide a more objective outlook and the confidence to make better choices.
RULE #2
Get mad, then get over it.
When we get upset, it is because we care about something. But we should not dwell on a negative experience too long. We are likely to find one loss turning into two or more... So, get upset, reprimand if need be. But then forget about it and move on, making sure to treat the young man or woman as we did before the errant incident.
RULE #3
Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
In order to be successful in the increasingly competitive world of sport, it is important to seriously question the old, comfortable ways of doing things. If we have been doing things simply because that is the way they have always been done, we should question ourselves. The old way may not be conducive to success.
Young teams will not progress without change, and the ability to change will be stifled by clinging to overly familiar ground.
RULE #4
It can be done.
Even when we cannot control the circumstances of a situation, we have the power to control our attitude. Exhibit a positive attitude, whether you are chasing that elusive conference championship or just trying to get your center to post up strong, and you will give your team a better chance to succeed.
RULE #5
Be careful whom you choose.
This is especially true in choosing people for your program. Having a "Yes-man" for an assistant may make life a little easier, but it will also make one of you redundant. Athletes with great skill but no sense of discipline or leadership may (or may not) win games, but will likely produce few championships.
RULE #6
Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
There is a scene in the basketball movie "Hoosiers" that dramatically illustrates this point. Coach Norman Dale sees one of his best players re-injure a bad cut on his shoulder during a playoff game.
The coach has almost no bench and is behind late in the game in a hostile gym. He starts to leave the player in the contest, but after a moment of self-questioning, calls a time-out and removes the player.
There will always be adversity to face in the form of injuries, academic ineligibility, upset fans, etc. As professionals, we cannot allow them to distract us from making the right choices.
RULE #7
You can't make someone else's decisions. You shouldn't let someone else make yours.
If you are operating within the rules and have the support of your administration, make your own decisions and stick to them. This does not mean that you cannot ask for help when needed, but it is your program to run. Nor does it mean that every decision affecting your basketball programs is within your power to control. Certainly, you are in a position to motivate, advise, influence, and even persuade, but the reality is that the responsibility for others' choices belongs to them and you cannot take it from them.
RULE #8
Check small things.
The best coaches are masters of details. For example, Tara Vanderveer made her 1996 Olympic basketball team carry both home and road uniforms with them to every game just in case there was a discrepancy between the international team uniforms.
Coaches understand that games often hinge on things that fans may not even notice, such as a poorly set screen or improper footwork. Coaches also know that a powerful motion offense attack will not work without proper spacing and cutting. These are small things that often make the difference in whether or not the big things happen.
RULE #9
Share credit.
Nothing will discourage a person more than working very hard, achieving a worthwhile goal, and then having someone else (especially the leader) take all the credit. Coaches who like to believe that "We won because I coached good," or "We lost because they (the athletes) played bad," will start losing their athletes quickly. While it may be true that head coaches get too much of the blame when things go wrong, all those connected with the program including players, assistant coaches, managers, and the administration deserve credit when things are going right.
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Some sites like Flickr, Music Platinum, Unlimited Download Center, Ares, and Sharing zone are very popular and they are really the sites that you should trust for. So, what is the most important step before you start downloading from the site? It's pretty obvious that the comparative study of different music downloads site is the most crucial step if you do not want to fall prey to cheats!
Well, if you can do your comparative study all on your own it's great. But it is also true that in this fast life, studying different downloading sites, comparing them, and then opting for one of them is time consuming. We want to hear music not for killing our time but for having a good kind of recreation in our day to day life. This is the reason we should go for the websites that give us a good comparative study of various downloading sites and helps us achieve our goal of reliable site without more efforts on our part.
Such sites are no doubt valuable tools in assessing the various site options when it comes to cheap music download. Gaining knowledge about different music downloads sites like Flickr, MP3 Audio Station, Hot MP3 Download, and Unlimited Media Access is in itself a great booster for our music love! We are desperate to download our favorite music video and now we have at our hand the authenticity and features of the site. Now, nothing can hold us back from enjoying our favorite hobby of collecting our favorite music albums! Let's rock and roll!
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How to Successfully Navigate Your Business through an Economic Downturn
An economic downturn is a phase of the business cycle in which the economy as a whole is in decline.This phase basically marks the end of the period of growth in the business cycle. Economic downturns are characterized by decreased levels of consumer purchases (especially of durable goods) and, subsequently, reduced levels of production by businesses.
While economic downturns are admittedly difficult, and are formidable obstacles to small businesses that are trying to survive and grow, an economic downturn can open up opportunities. A well-managed company can realize the opportunity to gain market share by taking customers away from their competitors. Resourceful entrepreneurs capture the available opportunities, from an economic downturn, by developing alternate methods of doing business that were never implemented during a prior growth period.
The challenge of successfully navigating your business through an economic downturn lies in the realignment of your business with current economic realities. Specifically, you, as the business owner, need to renew a focus on your core clients/customers, reduce your operating expenses, conserve cash, and manage more proactively, rather than reactively, is paramount.
Here are best practices that will help you to successfully navigate your business through an economic downturn:
Goals:
The primary goal of any business owner is to survive the current economic downturn and to develop a leaner, more cost-effective and more efficient operation. The secondary goal is to grow the business even during this current economic downturn.
Objectives:
• Conserve cash.
• Protect assets.
• Reduce costs.
• Improve efficiencies.
• Grow customer base.
Required Action:
• Do not panic… History shows that economic downturns do not last forever. Remain calm and act in a rational manner as you refocus your attention on resizing your company to the current economic conditions.
• Focus on what YOU can control… Don’t let the media's rhetoric concerning recessions and economic slowdown deter you from achieving business success. It´s a trap! Why? Because the condition of the economy is beyond your control. Surviving economic downturns requires a focus on what you can control, i.e. your relevant business activities.
• Communicate, communicate, and communicate! Beware of the pitfall of trying to do too much on your own. It is a difficult task indeed to survive and to grow your business solely with your own efforts. Solicit ideas and seek the help of other people (your employees, suppliers, lenders, customers, and advisors). Communicate honestly and consistently. Effective two-way communication is the key.
• Negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate! The value of a strong negotiation skill set cannot be overstated. Negotiating better deals and contracts is an absolute must for realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions. The key to success is not only knowing how to develop a win-win approach in negotiations with all parties, but also keeping in mind the fact that you want a favorable outcome for yourself too.
Recommended Best Practice Activities:
The Nuts and Bolts… The following list of recommended best practice activities is critical for your business' survival and for its growth during an economic downturn. The actual financial health of your particular business, at the outset of the economic downturn, will dictate the priority and urgency of the implementation of the following best practice activities.
1. Diligently monitor your cash flow: Forecast your cash flow monthly to ensure that expenses and planned expenditures are in line with accounts receivable. Include cash flow statements into your monthly financial reporting. Project cash requirements three-to- six months in advance. The key is to know how to monitor, protect, control, and put cash to work.
2. Carefully convert your inventories: Convert excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory items into cash. Consider returning excess and slow-moving items back to the suppliers. Close-out or inventory reduction sales work well to resize your inventory. Also, consider narrowing your product offerings. Well-timed order placement helps to reduce excess inventory levels and occasional material shortages. The key is to reduce the amount of your inventory without losing sales.
3. Timely collection of your accounts receivable: This asset should be converted to cash as quickly as possible. Offer prompt payment discounts to encourage timely payments. Make changes in the terms of sale for slow paying customers (i.e. changing net 30 day terms to COD). Invoicing is an important part of your cash flow management. The first rule of invoicing is to do it as soon as possible after products are shipped and/or after services are delivered. Place an emphasis on reducing billing errors. Most customers delay payments because an invoice had errors, and therefore, will not pay until they receive a corrected copy. Email or fax your invoices to save on mailing time. Post the payments that you have received and make deposits more frequently. The key is to develop an efficient collection system that generates timely payments and one that gives you advance warning of problems.
4. Re-focus your attention on your existing clients/customers: Make customer satisfaction your priority. A regular review of your customers' buying history and frequency of purchases can reveal some interesting facts about your customers' buying habits. Consider signing long-term contracts with your core clients/customers which will add to your security. Offer a discount for upfront cash payments. The key is to do what it takes to keep your current customers loyal.
5. Re-negotiate with your suppliers, lenders, and landlord:
i) Suppliers: Always keep your negotiations on the level of need, saying that your company has reviewed its cost structure and has determined that it needs to lower supplier costs. . Tell the supplier that you value the relationship you have developed, but that you need to receive a cost reduction immediately. Ask your supplier for a lower material price, a longer payment cycle, and the elimination of finance charges. Also, see if you can buy material from them on a consignment basis. In return for their price concessions, be willing to agree to a long-term contract. Explore the idea of bartering as a form of payment.
ii) Lenders: Everything in business finance is negotiable and your relationship with a bank is no exception. The first step to successful renegotiations is to convince your lenders that you can ultimately pay off the renegotiated loan. You must point out to your lenders why it would be in their best interest to agree to a new arrangement. Showing them your business plan and your action plan that includes your cost-savings initiatives, along with "the how" and "the when" of the implementation of your plan is the best way to achieve this goal. Explain to them that you will need their cooperation to insure that you can survive, as well as, grow your business during the economic downturn. Negotiated items include: the rate of interest, the required security to cover the loan, and the beginning date for repayment. A beginning date for repayment could be immediate, within several months or as long as a year. The key is to realize that your lender will work with you, but that frequent and continual communications with them is critical.
iii) Landlord: Meet with your landlord. Explain your need to have them extend the term of your lease at a reduced cost. Make sure you have a clause in the lease agreement that entitles you to have the right to sublet any or all of the leased space.
6. Re-evaluate your staffing requirements: This is a very critical area. Salaries/wages are a major expense of doing business. Therefore, any reduction in the hours worked through work schedule changes, short-term layoffs or permanent layoffs has an immediate cost saving benefit. Most companies ramped up hiring new employees in the good times, only to find that they are currently overstaffed due to slow sales during the economic downturn. In terms of down-sizing your staff, be very careful not to reduce your staff to a level that forces you to skimp on customer service and quality. Consider the use of part-timers or the current trend of outsourcing certain functions to independent contractors.
7. Shop for better insurances rates: Get quotations from other insurance agents for comparable coverage to determine whether or not your present insurance carrier is competitive. Also, consider revising your coverage to reduce premium costs. The key is to have the right balance-to be adequately insured, but not under or over insured.
8. Re-evaluate your advertising: Contrary to the other cost-cutting initiatives, evaluate the possibility of increasing your advertising expenditures. This tactic realizes the advantage of the reduced "noise" and congestion (fewer advertisers) in the marketplace. The downturn period a great opportunity to increase brand awareness and create additional demand for your product/service offerings.
9. Seek the help of outside advisors: The use of an advisory board comprised of your CPA, attorney, and business consultant offers you objectivity and provides you with professional advice and guidance. Their collective experience in working with similar situations in past economic downturns is invaluable.
10. Review your other expenses: Target an across-the-board cost-cutting initiative of 10-15%. Attempt to eliminate unnecessary expenses. Tightening your belt in order to weather the downturn makes practical, financial sense.
Proactively managing your business through an economic downturn is an enormous challenge and is critical for your survival. However, through well-planned initiatives, an economic downturn can create tremendous opportunity for your company to gain greater market share. In order to take advantage of this growth opportunity, you must act quickly to implement the above best business practices to continue realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions.