In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins communicates the concept of The Stockdale Paradox. It’s based on the experience of James Stockdale, a high-ranking naval officer who was held captive as a POW for seven years during the Vietnam war. He was tortured repeatedly and had no rational reason to remain positive. The dates on…
In his book Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeon tells the story of Larry Gelwix, one of the most successful high school rugby coaches in history. In thirty-five years, his Highland High School Rugby Team compiled a record of 419 wins, 10 losses, and 20 national championships! If you played for coach Gelwix,…
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is judging the success of your effort by the initial response you get. I was reminded of this as I sat through a 20 Group meeting. Mike Haley, the former hiring class instructor, was the guest speaker on the agenda. He opened his session by asking about…
“Harry” is a shop owner in your area. One day he’s walking down the street thinking about his dreams, his dollars, and the upcoming decisions he will have to make at his shop. He’s so focused on his future that he fails to notice that there is a hole in the sidewalk. As a result, Harry falls in the hole!…
Have you ever felt like giving up? “Mike” and “Harry” certainly did. They were frustrated by their general manager’s performance failures. He was highly compensated, but his results weren’t on par with his pay. In spite of their best efforts to provide training and coaching, sales were slipping, profits were plummeting, and morale was moving in…
In his book, Relentless, From Good To Great To Unstoppable, Tim Grover tells the story of how he became the personal trainer of choice for professional basketball players in the NBA. Back in the late 1980s, Tim was a 25-year-old, with no prior experience working with pro athletes. He was hoping to get his big break. He…
“Jack” owns a shop on the east coast and has two service advisors. The first advisor “Ray” is an automotive industry veteran with over 15 years of experience. He’s been there, done that, and has the tee shirt and coffee mug to prove it! The second writer “Craig” knows nothing about cars and couldn’t change…
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most successful franchises in professional basketball. They’ve won five NBA Championships and have the highest regular season winning percentage in league history. With all their success, the Spurs still have the same big problem as you. Their Coach, Greg Poppovich, has instilled a culture and a mindset with the players that inspires…
Jimmy Johnson was the head football coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 through 1994. He had a reputation for being a no-nonsense, disciplinarian who was tough on his players. Falling asleep during one of his meetings was considered a “career-limiting move.” Everyone knew this. Everyone, except for a backup linebacker named John Roper. During a recent interview, Johnson…
How do you break through a limiting belief about yourself? Reflecting on this question, reminded me of a story I read in John Maxwell’s book, The Five Levels of Leadership. Maxwell writes about of a young lawyer named Herb, who was new to the legal profession. In an effort to get up to speed, Herb studied two experienced attorneys to…