Ok, so this is one of my favorite, as well as one of the most challenging chapters. I'm going to put the quote and the question together again this week...
"The hallmark of successful leadership is consistently maximum performance. Emotionalism opens a leader to inconsistency. Seek intensity coupled with emotional discipline." (p. 109) Coach Wooden later goes on to say, "I insisted on that same control and intensity during practice - especially practice." (p. 113)
As leaders those around you will look to and follow your example. Whether your path is smooth or littered with seemingly insurmountable obstacles strive to maintain a consistent and controlled intensity and perform at the highest level you are capable of.
Question...We all have been on or know of teams that have won games they should have lost and teams that have lost games they should have won... what would you say is the usually the cause of this let down and how can it be avoided?
Strive for excellence... Always
Chris
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Well this chapter really does explain this question really well and the answer is simply a teams emotions or in other words mind set.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, when winning games that should have been lost you have put in the mind set to try harder. As for losing games you should have won when thinking everything will come easily you dont but forth your best effort hurting your team in the end.
This let down could be avoided by simply trying your best and keeping focused.
As coach wooden said," if you let your emotions take over, youll be outplayed."
Wooden says, "Intensity makes you stronger. Emotionalism makes you weaker." I like this simply because it is true and I have seen and experienced it so many times. We will be beating a team handly after one half of play and then end up losing the game. Inconsistency of focus and poor control of emotions are the reasons. In order to win the games you should win, you must be consistent, and that includes practice. Slacking off during practice and trying hard in games may get you to some places, but not to the top.
ReplyDeleteI think losing games that should be won is usually the product of conforming to an ok job. It's like what Michael Jordan said: "I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win." Instead of taking every game as a chance to work at 100% stregth and effort, some games end up viewed as "just another game," and some practices are "just another practice," so the enthusiasm and effort drops dramatically. The importance of practice is not stressed enough. Once again, Michael Jordan says, "I'm not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat." If every game was about pushing ourselves to our limit, these games would not be lost. Even further, if every game was about pushing ourselves to our limit, and then even more, we would be unstoppable.
ReplyDeleteI liked when Coach Wooden said, "My performance goal for our team was one of steady and tangible progress. If you drew it on a graph, the line would be rising every day each week through the season. There would be no sharp spikes or peaks; no sudden drop-offs or letdowns. To achieve this goal requires control of emotions. It stars with the leader."
I like that quote from Michael Jordan that Juan gave because he is correct. Whenever someone gives even a 1% less of a performance than his or her 100% then the ret of the team has to compensate for their teammate.
ReplyDeleteI think that a team that should win ends up losing sometimes because they get over-confident and arrogant. It's these times that you don't feel you need to give it your best effort. "The hallmark of successful leadership is consistently maximum performance." Even when all odds are in your favor you still need to try your hardest. Frustration is also a big cause to the downfall of a team. "A leader with a volatile temperament is vulnerable. And so is the team he or she leads." If one person on the team gets upset they can start making more mistakes and the rest of the team follows in their anger. A good way to avoid this is to have a good relationship with your team. They can support and encourage you.
ReplyDeleteA team may lose a game that they should have won because they play down to the level of the other team. Instead of playing their best, the team gets lazy and overconfident that they will win causing them to lose. A team might also win becuse they don't get down when sonething bad happens. They stay together as a team and continue to work hard, play their best, and have fun. I remember playing a volleyball game and we were down by twelve, Instead of giving up we worked together and won the game. "Emotionalism-ups and downs in moods, displays in temperment-is almost always counterproductive, and at times disastrous." If you get down because you made a mistake the other team can use it against you.
ReplyDelete"Emotionalism-ups and downs in moods, displays of temperament-is almost always counterproductive, and at times disastrous."(p.112)
ReplyDeleteWhenever we engage in something, whether playing a game or performing in a concert, our minds must not sway by emotions. The teams that should've won but lost were mostly likely either cocky, or very depressed and could not concentrate on the game.
If we were to lead our team to victory, we must do what Coach Wooden did: "The errors decreased only because of my strong belief that consistency, steadiness, and dependibility are necessary for high-performance results and for Competitive Greatness. And emotionalism destroys all of this." (p.113)
I would say its due two two main things. allowing the pressure to get to you is a big one. If someone knows they should win they expect that they have to be great and end up not being great and failing. Practice is the other one. If someone practices consistently good it will benefit them greatly. If they practice consistently, but dont practice perfect it will hinder them. One of my favorite quotes in general sums it up, "Practice doesn't make perfect, only perfect practice make perfect"
ReplyDeleteYa, before every game the team should set aside all emotion and focus on what they have to do as a team to get that victory. The only time to let the emotion come through is right after a goal, but when the whistle blows to start again, that good play should be forgotten and everyone should focus on formulating another good play. I like Mr. Wooden.
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