Gut Feeling

Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, made 2 brilliant personnel decisions in 2000:  hiring Belichick as the Patriots head coach and de facto general manager and drafting Tom Brady in the 6th round that year.  Nobody else in the league wanted either.  Why did Kraft pick them up?  "My gut," Kraft says without pause.  "That's how the best things in my life have happened."

What a BRILLIANT Leader!

From Reuters on 10/25/10:

In the current subdued consumer environment, retailers need to resist the temptation to focus solely on cutting costs, said Mindy Grossman, chief executive of U.S. teleshopping and e-commerce group HSN Inc (HSNI.O).

"That's not going to get us anywhere," she said, arguing that tougher times made it more important for firms to invest in new products and new ways of appealing to shoppers.

"We have so many opportunities to reach the customer, whether it's in a physical environment, on television, online, mobile, social (network sites). There is more access than at any given point in history -- we just have to do it in a way that makes them excited and makes them want to engage."

Skill and Sense over Size and Speed

Skill, scouts say, is easy to see.  It's visible in a fluid, extended skating stride, explosiveness off the mark and the ability to sustain top speed.  It's announced by a heavy shot or a quick release.  No one misses those traits in no-brainer prospects like Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby.  But most gifted scouts can also identify subtler skills.  These reside in the player who operates on his own personal island of time and space -- who sees the play, as scouts like to say, as though he had a mental blueprint of the game.  These nuances can also be found in the player who senses pressure before it arrives and deftly uses his body to shield the puck.  Both are indications of hockey sense, defined as the ability to anticipate and predict what is going to happen before everyone else on the ice sees it happen.  It allows a player to get into position and execute plays faster than those around him.  It's God-given, unteachable and held sacred by the Wings.

Professional Hockey Team's Draft process

NHL scouts focus first on fundamentals:  acceleration, speed, shot strength, accuracy.  Then they look deeper:  "Identifying the intangibles in a kid is the toughest part of scouting, " says Jim Nill, head scout for the Detroit Red Wings.  Small kids can get bigger.  Weak kids can get stronger.  Bad skaters can learn to skate better.  But what is their character like?  Will they work hard?  You have a gut feeling that only comes from experience.

The Wings adhere to a consistent draft philosophy of selecting high-skill, high-hockey IQ skaters designed to find hidden gems in the ranks of seemingly flawed players.  In short, skill and hockey sense trump size and speed.

Flash in the pan or the real thing

Pro Hockey scouts must discern whether a potentially good player is sick or having a bad day -- or if an average prospect is having the night of his life.  Some uncertainty can be alleviated by watching a player several times and consulting coaches, but even in the best of circumstances, determining the future NHL potential of a teenage player is tricky business.

Angela Ahrendts management style

Unlike corporate chiefs who favor an inaccessible, imperial style, Ahrendts seems comfortable with dissent; her executives joke easily with her, and aren't afraid to press their points.  "She wouldn't know how to be undermining,  "EVP Stacey Cartwright says.

"She gets people to work harder than they ever have just by letting them know how important they are, how much the team relies on them", says Supply Chain VP Andy Janowski.

"It's easy to run a company while the economy is expanding, and easy to get lazy," says Ahrendts.  "A sharp downturn tends to focus the mind.  I was taught never to waste a good recession," she says.

Linda Wachner (ex-chief of Warnaco) on Angela Ahrendts (chief of Burberry)

"She was one of the few people who knew not to take things personally.  She never flinched, never whined, never shirked.  She was a class act, and I can't say that about too many people."

Please Say It

Daniela during her recovery process:

Dr. Esquenazi didn't sugarcoat her situation.  "You will always miss your hands.  Nothing we do here will ever be like what you lost.  But you have a choice.  You can hide in a corner, or you can rise to the moment and do the best you can with what you have.  Your life will be what you do with it."

After her recovery, she finished medical school and returned to the same place she went for rehabilitation, as a doctor.  The staff describes her as having an unbelievable ability to wholeheartedly accept the present moment.  She never focuses on what was lost, and she never lets her injuries define her.

No Headlines here

Daniela, a medical student, being wheeled into the emergency room after suffering a terrible accident in which she lost all 4 of her limbs, was awake and scared, asking "Am I going to be okay?"  The stricken looks on the nurses' faces as they turned away without answering filled her with fear.  Finally, in the elevator up to the operating room, she saw a gowned doctor with kind eyes and a beard.  "Am I going to be okay?" she asked once again.  He held her eyes, smiled, and said, "You are going to be just fine."

For the 1st time since the accident, she could relax.  She closed her eyes.

One tough cookie

Alex Smith, quarterback for the 49er's has been through the worst situation possible -- five offensive systems in his first five years, two shoulder surgeries, a former head coach who questioned his toughness, an offensive coordinator who tried to break him mentally because he believed Smith had been pampered, and a $17 million pay cut -- yet his will and confidence remain intact.

With all the non-believers and troublemakers gone, working hard with his current qb coach in improving his fundamentals and techniques and convinced that Singletary and company believes in him and has his back, he's determined to propel himself to the next level.

Once again, Chemistry matters

Kurt Warner, quarterback for the Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald, receiver for the Cardinals shared a special synergy and trust.  Warner could count on Fitz to be at a particular spot at a particular time, and Fitz could count on Warner to deliver the ball in stride.

Warner has since retired and new quarterback Matt Leinart took over.  Fitz invited Leinart to join him at his wide-outs camp in Minnesota during the off-season, but Leinart declined because he wanted to practice in LA.  On 9/4, the Cardinals coach bid adios to Leinart.

There's just no escaping "Hard Work"

Assistant Coach Hue Jackson on trying to improve struggling wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bay of the Raiders

"I don't think I need to build up any football players confidence,"  Jackson said.  It's rolling up your sleeves every day and going out to work to improve your skill level. That's what the young man has done. Obviously he needs to do it in a game. I think he will."

Are the Raiders finally getting "IT?"

"We don't need to be flashy. We didn't need the high price-tag free agents to come in. We didn't go crazy in the draft. We had a purpose in free agency, a purpose to the draft and a purpose to our trades."

—Coach Tom Cable on the common-sense approach to the offseason.

No entitlement here

"It doesn't matter if you were a 1st round draft choice or undrafted -- if you can play in this league, we'll find a way to get you on the field."  Gary Kubiak, coach of the Houston Texans

"The best players will play.  I don't care when they were drafted, what their salary is, how many years they've been in the league.  Our job is to win games, and the only way I know how to do that is to try to get the best 11 players on the field."  Josh McDaniels, coach of the Denver Broncos.

Chemistry matters

Matt Stafford, quarterback of the Lions and Calvin Johnson, wide receiver of the Lions, have been logging extra practice time on the field and occasionally hanging out away from the facility, trying to build the kind of relationship between a quarterback and a top receiver that has defined winning teams in the past.

Great Example of Preparation

Preparing to play in last year's Super Bowl, Tracy Porter cornerback of the New Orleans Saints studied diligently films of the Indianapolis Colts "china route", a staple of their 3 wideout formations in which the receiver split the farthest wide motions underneath the slot receiver, who runs an in-cut for a short gain.  The play appeared so often on film that "it became imbedded in my brain," says Porter, who compared preparing for the Super Bowl to studying for a final.

When he finally saw the play live, he felt like a student who knew the answer after reading only half of a test question.  "It was like, Here it is.  It finally happened, " says Porter, who jumped in front of Reggie Wayne on a "china route" late in the 4th quarter and returned the interception 74 yards for a Saints score.  Super Bowl over.  Saints win.

Player Development

"Teams won't start to win until they fully develop the second and third year players on their rosters."  Bill Parcells, Miami Dolphins President

Brian Kelly's Rules

Brian Kelly set the rules early for his players: No earrings or ball caps, organize your lockers, keep your helmets on and pay attention to detail during practices that won’t last more than 2 1/2 hours.

What it takes to be a champion

"Mental part of the game.  Being able to zero in and focus."  Chris Evert

"The ability to fail.  Not being afraid to put it all on the line and come up short.  Most people don't have that."  Martina Navratilova 

All Pro Character

"I see so many silver-spoon guys, and I don't think the mental toughness is always there.  I've dealt with adversity.  I've dealt with disappointment.  I've dealt with not being picked and not being one of the guys.  When I see adversity now, I look forward to it.  When I see opportunity, I make the most of it."

Rules he follows:  1)  Behave yourself, play the game, be on time, and keep your mouth shut and be a good teammate, because your reputation in this league is important, and 2) put in the time during the season and the off season.  You get to this point by working your butt off, then you just decide to breeze?  "I DON'T GET THAT."

Aaron Rodgers, All pro QB for the Green Bay Packers

Sustainable Sales

True or False:  Sales of new items during the first few months occur because of marketing, distribution, and promotion.  After that, sales are almost entirely a result of word of mouth.  If people like your product or service, they will talk about it with others.  They are, in essence, passing on the vision and testifying on behalf of your company's product or service.

Back to working hard again

"Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average person, you are just not cut out for positions at the top."  JC Penney 

(the following does not count as work:  sending emails all day from the computer, reacting by answering questions rudely on your blackberry, working on power-point presentations known as "decks" 24/7, seeing customers when they are only happy, delegating bad news to your subordinates to handle, writing strategy reports without any idea on implementing or executing the plans other than by ordering people to do so because of your position of power, blaming everyone and anyone but yourself and your allies when the plan fails because of lack of empirical data , not validating your arguments with facts, unwilling to hear bad news, ready to sue, fire, or demote somebody, declaring your general counsel as your best friend, etc.)  Anyone you know?

Happens all the time....

"You should never be casual about risking what's not yours.  I call that "betting with other people's money.  You don't have the right to put the organization on the line.  Nor would it be right for you to create high risk for others in the organization.  If you are going to take a risk, you need to put YOURSELF on the line (which rarely occurs)."  John Maxwell

Follow the what???

The Insecure Leader:  They think everything is about them, and as a result, every action, every piece of information, every decision is put through their filter of self-centeredness.

The Visionless Leader:  They fail to provide direction or incentive to move forward.  They always lack passion and have no fuel to keep themselves and their people going.  They drain everyone's energy.

The Incompetent Leader:  They are ineffective, and often stay that way.  Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it most like it the least.

The Selfish Leader:  They lead others for their own gain and for the detriment of others.  They advance at the expense of everyone around him or her.

The Chameleon Leader:  They are unpredictable because they don't want to take any responsibility.  They waste people's time and energy by never committing to anything, but rather enjoy watching people trying to predict and anticipate their very next move.

The Political Leader:  They are motivated by the desire to get ahead and all their decisions are based on political ambitions rather than the mission or the good of the organization.

The Controlling Leader:  They want to be in the middle of everything you do and continually interrupts your progress by micromanaging you.

Darn:  Since March 2001......

The above has been described in the John Maxwell book, The 360 Degree Leader

Where are these leaders...

"A leader is interested in finding the best way --- not in having his own way."

John Wooden quoting Wilfred A. Peterson

Excerpts from John Wooden's Book, "They Call Me Coach"

"In group activity, there must be supervision and leadership and a disciplined effort by all, or much of our united strength will be dissipated pulling against ourselves.

If you discipline yourself toward team effort under the supervision of the one in charge, even though you might not always agree with the decisions, much can and will be accomplished.

Your lot is certain failure without discipline.

I am very interested in each of you as an individual but I must act in what I consider to be in the best interest of the team for either the moment or the future.

Your race or your religion will have no bearing on my judgment, but your ability and how it works to my philosophy of team play very definitely will.  Furthermore, your personal conduct and adherence to standards that I make will undoubtedly be taken into consideration either consciously or unconsciously.

There may seem to be double standards at times as I most certainly will not treat you all alike in every respect.  However, I will attempt to give each individual the treatment he earns and deserves according to my judgment, in keeping with what I consider in the best interest of the team.  You must accept this in the proper manner for you to be a positive and contributing member..."

From John Wooden's annual letter to the team in July of 1970, a few months after UCLA's basketball team won its 4th consecutive national title

Summary #1 As quoted by some of the top leaders of our time

John Wooden:  Looking for good people with strong character.
Marissa Mayer:  Looking for smart people who get things done.
Michael Treacy:  Looking for a great management team.
Vince Lombardi:  Looking for people who have strong work habits that consistently do things right.
Eric Musselman:  Looking for hard workers (was quoted as saying "If a guy isn't willing to work his butt off, I just despise him.")  my all time favorite quote.  :-))
Mindy Grossman:  Looking for passionate workers who take great pride in their work.

Success as defined by John Wooden

 Pyramid of Success by John Wooden

Yes men not wanted, strategy unimportant, instead good people needed

"He knows that the strength of the team is the strength of the individual and that when everyone thinks alike, no one is thinking." 
"He never talks about strategy, statistics, or plays but rather about people and character."
"He never tires of telling us that once you become a good person, then you have a chance of becoming a good basketball player or whatever else you may want to do."

Bill Walton describing his college basketball coach, John Wooden

NBA Magic or just plain hard work?

"Legends are born when big shots are made.  And every NBA finals hero--from Bird to Jordan to Wade--has had a sweet spot (defined as the area of the court where they always seem to make the clutch shots).  How do players find there special place?  A little magic, a little luck and a lot of work."  Article from June 14th issue of ESPN Magazine.

Consider what Steve Kerr, former guard for the Championship Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs:  "That's why it's important to practice the shots you are going to get in the game.  I knew where my shots were going to come from, so those were the shots I made sure I could make (from hours and hours of practice)."

Imitation is all around us

"We forfeit three-fourths of ourselves to be like other people."  Arthur Schopenhauer

Do you really want it?

We get into trouble when we call a "want" a "need" --- it begins to corrupt our integrity.  From the book "Do It."

A's Sweep the Giants!

It's almost too good to be true.

The Art of a successful Turnaround by being better, not bigger.

"I've never tried to motivate my staff by saying we're going to be bigger than someone else."  Mindy Grossman

What a Perfect picture...

The Before and After Picture

Before:  "There was not a lot of pride in the culture, and that was shocking to me."  Mindy Grossman, talking about HSN when appointed CEO.

After:  "If they don't want to go on air, then they don't want to work with us--they're not passionate."  Grossman describing the type of designers she was looking for to sell on the air.

Results:  During the depths of the recession, sales grew 3% in both 2008 and 2009, w/sales up 9% during 1st quarter of 2010.  Stock price doing quite well also.

You finally earned it

"But I firmly believe that any person's finest hour -- the greatest fulfillment that one holds dear -- is that when he/she has to work his/her heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle...victorious."  Vince Lombardi

Consistent Habits

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing.  You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time.  Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing."  Vince Lombardi

Let's Make a Deal

"Deal making beats working.  Deal making is exciting and fun, and working is grubby.  That's why you have deals that make no sense."  Peter Drucker

People versus Strategy

I have ranked a company's management team above its strategic plans because a great team with a flawed plan will always defeat the best of plans in the hands of an average management team.  Author Michael Treacy
(Unfortunately, as a result of putting together a strategic plan most management team believes that they are great, flawed plan or not.)

Intelligence plus intuition

"You don't have to be fast to be a good base runner.  You just have to be knowledgeable and have a good read of the fielders."  Ken Korach (Oakland A's baseball announcer)

Keep Smiling

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."  Comedian Victor Borge

The Prez was originally an Oakland A's fan

President Obama was an Oakland A's fan.  If the A's can put together a winning season, maybe "was" can be changed back to "is."

A winning managment style by none other than the Oracle of Omaha

From Berkshire Hathaway 2009 Annual Report:  "Most of our managers, however, use the independence we grant them magnificently, rewarding our confidence by maintaining an owner oriented attitude that is invaluable and too seldom found in huge organizations. We would rather suffer the visible costs of a few bad decisions than incur the many invisible costs that come from decisions made too slowly – or not at all – because of a stifling bureaucracy."

A case of not listening...

In a particular football game, Bear Bryant, legendary coach for Alabama told his qb to run the ball to take time off the clock to maintain a six point lead.  Knowing the defensive opponent would expect a running play, the qb instead chose to pass the ball.  Unfortunately, he throws an interception to the fastest guy on the field playing for the opponent, but miraculously chases him down and tackles him short of the end zone.  Alabama's defense holds on and denies the opponent from scoring, thus preserving the victory.

After the game, the opposing coach asks Bear Bryant, "What's this business about your qb not being a runner?  He ran down my speedster from behind!"  Bear Bryant responded, "Your man was running for six points.  My man was running for his life."

Stop listening to nay sayers

A Munich schoolmaster told Albert Einstein that he would "never amount to be much."
Thomas Edison was considered "unteachable" as a youngster.

Twitter Addiction

Ozzie Guillen just had to point out what a nice job his hair stylist did and how cool his new shades are.  The Chicago White Sox’s manager is simply providing glimpses into his personal life through his Twitter account, and if his boss doesn’t like it, well, Guillen’s response can easily be summed up in 140 characters or less:

Too bad.

Get Noticed

"Early to bed. Early to rise. Work like hell.  And advertise."  Gert Boyle from Columbia Sportswear

Getting to yes

There are too many people who don't know how to say "no", but at least they are happier than all those people who don't know how to say "yes."  Marilyn vos Savant

Paying Attention

"You see, but you do not observe."  Sherlock Holmes explaining to Dr. Watson

Take the challenge

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."  Martin Luther King

Passion versus Technique

Saw this on a tee shirt:  "We are not great swimmers because of our technique, we are great swimmers because of our passion."

Enjoy a good laugh..

Rosel, 56, was driving the 2005 Prius on March 9 when she reported that it sped up on its own down a driveway and slammed into a stone wall despite her braking.

Marraccini said the car's computers showed that the Prius' top speed down the driveway was 35 mph and it was going 27 mph when it hit the wall.

The finding concurs with that of U.S. safety regulators, who said last week that the car's computers showed the throttle was open and the brakes not applied.

Your future is not your past

"Don't live in the past tense."  Anoymous

The proper way to train.

Teaching a trade:  From author John Maxwell

1) I do it -- to become good at it and have an understanding
2) I do it -- and you watch to see how it should be done properly
3) You do it -- and I watch you to make sure you are doing it right
4) You do it on your own when you become proficient

Even bad teams have a diamond in the rough

Here's the take on Stephen Curry, the rookie guard for the Golden State Warriors {from SF Gate}:

1. Late at night, 10 or 11 o'clock on non-game nights, Curry lets himself into the Warriors' practice gym in downtown Oakland, and shoots.  These sessions are on top of the half hour or so of extra shooting Curry does after team practices

2. He can play, but the shot wasn't there at first. In the Warriors' summer-league games, Curry's shooting was, he said, "terrible," and during preseason, it was only "OK," which doesn't get you to where Curry wanted to get. So he works. While he gradually adjusted to the height, quickness and athleticism of the league's defenders, he kept practicing, shooting.

3. "He doesn't care how many shots he misses. He thinks he is going to make the next one. That confidence rubs off on the other guys and makes you forget he is a rookie."

4.  Warriors coaches say he is extremely responsive to suggestions.

     a. Some weeks ago, the coaches told Curry to get to the free-throw line more often, do more penetration.  Done.

     b. The coaches told him to come off the screens faster and more aggressively, thinking shot first.  He's doing that, while teaching himself to see the court clearly at the increased speed.

Full article on Stephen Curry 

 

From the book, Raving Fans ( a parable) by Ken Blanchard

"Laziness, stupidity, stuck in a rut, closed-minded, love of tradition, fear of the future, bullheaded, pigheaded, noheaded, who knows.  Two things are for sure, however.  One, those people aren't listening to customers, and two, they don't want Raving Fans."

(Anyone you know? :-))

Working Hard to be ready

"If it takes staying late or coming in early, I'm all about it because I have to take enough reps to feel like I'm prepared to play the game."  New A's third baseman, Kevin Kouzmanoff

Making tough decisions

"My view, having done this for a long time, is you never know.  You make the best call with the judgment you have."  Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates

What did Gates, a lifelong Republican, asked Obama when the then president-elect asked him to stay on as Defense Secretary?  "I asked him if he could trust me."

Twitter Phenomenon

From Twitter Blog:
"Folks were tweeting 5,000 times a day in 2007. By 2008, that number was 300,000, and by 2009 it had grown to 2.5 million per day. Tweets grew 1,400% last year to 35 million per day. Today, we are seeing 50 million tweets per day—that's an average of 600 tweets per second."

Check this out:     http://tinyurl.com/yap52km

Incredible growth.  Former CEO of Coca Cola was once quoted as saying he would like to get every person in China to drink a can of coke a day.   That's like 1.2 billion cans per day.  If that happens, there probably wouldn't be enough factories to churn out enough cans of coke.

What would happen if the number of tweets reached 1 billion a day?  Talk about information overload.

A different way to look at the word "Vulnerability"

Excerpt from article on BW magazine by Patrick Lencioni:

"Vulnerability isn't a word that shows up on lists of ingredients for business success.  Here's why it should:  Without the willingness and ability to be vulnerable, we simply can't build deep and lasting relationships in business and, come to think of it, life.

Vulnerability is often seen as a weakness; it's actually a sign of strength.  People who are genuinely open and transparent prove that they have the confidence and self-esteem to allow others to see them as they really are, warts and all.  There's something undeniably magentic about people who can do that.

When it comes to the workplace, vulnerability is critical in the building of teams.  When teammates feel free to admit their mistakes, ask for help, and acknowledge their own weaknesses, they reduce divisive politics and build a bond of trust more valuable than almost any strategic advantage.  Another great venue for vulnerability is the one I work in, the world of service.  When consultants and advisers are willing to ask dumb questions, tell the unvarnished truth, or broach the painful, elephant-in-the-room topic, then engender loyalty and trust with clients."

Just another ordinary hard working employee

He is seen eating in the corporate cafeteria or pouring himself coffee in a small pantry where someone has taped a sheet promoting employee weight-loss challenge.  He doesn't even have a parking space; often he has to walk across the lot.  BW magazine describing Tyco's CEO, Ed Breen.

No robots allowed

“Our motto is this: Live on the edge, play on the edge. Look over that edge. See that cliff. When you start to fall off, I’ll be there to grab you. Until you get there, we won’t be any good. You’ve got to be able to make the play. You can’t be afraid to make a mistake in this league, otherwise you’re a robot. I don’t want to coach robots. I want to coach football players. I want to coach guys who are fearless. I’m never going to get on a kid for getting aggressive. You can’t be paralyzed out there.”  New Orleans Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams

True Leaders Defined

6 Personality traits to admire and acquire

 by Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance
I’ve written numerous articles and posts on difficult people, personalities and relationships: Everything from Manipulative Marys to Bullies in the workplace to people who break boundaries to toxic personalities.  Let’s face it:  In life, we come across all kinds!  As humans, we often focus on those who are negative or toxic leaving it difficult to appreciate those who are positive and healthy.  Seeking out individuals with healthy, positive traits, however, may do a lot of good.  The more we can surround ourselves with those who are positive and healthy, the more we may model those positive behaviors.
If you really think about it, once in awhile you come across a person who knocks you off your socks…legitimately.  Maybe they have a fantastic outlook on life, even during difficult times.  Maybe they are really humble, although they are extremely gifted.  Maybe they make you feel special.  All of these are good.
Below, I've listed some of the traits I admire most in people.  Although I could probably list a dozen characteristics, I thought I’d list those that seem to be the rarest or most difficult to find.

1. Selflessness: In a world where many people don’t have the time or the interest in others, selflessness is a quality that seems to be less and less common.  People can be selfless in the time they give, the ability to listen, their level of patience and the love that they give.  Those who are giving and generous in nature have the power to make others feel loved, appreciated and special.  While those who are self-absorbed tend to do the exact opposite.
2. Tolerance: Those people who are tolerant make us feel comfortable with who we are and special as individuals.  All of us are different, and many of us have quirks and idiosyncrasies.  After all, these differences make the world go round.  Having the ability to accept people for who they are and not expect them to be who we want them to be is important in life, happiness and in the health of our relationships.
3. Genuineness: Having the ability to be real, authentic and honest is unique in a world where we put so much emphasis on the superficial.  Feeling comfortable in one’s skin and being true to one’s self is one of the most beautiful traits one can possess.  To have a REAL relationship with someone requires honesty…it requires hearing and giving input or feedback that may not always be popular…it means having the strength to tell it like it is and to not be afraid to face the consequences for doing so…it means loving people for who they really are…deep down…and not for what they appear to be.
4. Sensitivity: So often we are focused on what is important to ourselves that we can forget about those around us.  Those who are sensitive are often thoughtful, appreciative and loving, in a way that makes you feel understood, valued and respected.  Often, sensitive people are also self-aware, making them mindful of how they impact others with what they do and say.
5. Integrity: Call me cynical, but I think this characteristic is especially difficult to find.  In a time when people will do things that are underhanded to make an extra buck (Bernie Madoff…can you hear me?), expose their personal lives to the public so they can be famous (balloon boy’s dad and any other reality TV mongers) and do what feels good in the moment without necessarily thinking of the consequences (Tiger Woods), integrity is a characteristic that is especially unique today.
6. Humility: Whether someone is super-smart, extremely talented or drop-dead gorgeous, there is something extra special about them if they don’t come across as though they know it all the time.  Humility in those that possess extraordinary traits make others feel special too.

Rice makes his mark

During Rice’s rookie season, he struggled with a steady succession of dropped passes, and fans were questioning whether Walsh had made a sound decision.

Rice took his game to a level that may never be matched. In 20 seasons with the 49ers, Raiders and Seahawks (for whom he played his final 11 games as a 42-year-old), Rice caught 1,549 passes for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns – all records by a wide margin. No player has crossed the goal line more – Rice, with 10 rushing TDs, is the league’s all-time leader with 207 scores.

Reposting this great article on leadership, posted by a leader in her own right

Original tweet by one of Google's top leaders, Marissa Mayer:

http://url2it.com/cdbi

True Competition

"I'm competitive against myself, not against anyone else.  I don't go into a room and size people up and determine how I can beat someone."   Beyonce

Cowards in action....

Continuing the previous blog on Bernanke:

Today the second-guessers are running wild. Why didn't the Fed stop bailed-out companies from handing out lucrative dividends and bonuses? Why pay off AIG's creditors in full? Why save Bear Stearns but not Lehman Brothers? "It's the price of success: people start to think you're omnipotent," Bernanke says. "We say we didn't have the authority, and it's Oh, you're the Fed. You could've come up with something.' "

Amazingly, the one reform that has attracted bipartisan support on Capitol Hill has been a crusade to rein in the Fed. The House passed a measure allowing congressional audits of monetary policy, which Bernanke believes would shatter the Fed's independence and immerse its rate-setting in politics. He's also fighting proposals to identify Fed borrowers, pointing out that during the Depression, borrowers turned down Reconstruction Finance Corporation dollars to avoid the stigma of disclosure. There is broad support for stripping the Fed of its consumer-protection functions, and the leading Senate bill would eliminate its regulatory functions as well. At his recent confirmation hearing, Bernanke endured hours of nitpicking and abuse. "Obviously, I haven't succeeded in defusing the political concerns about the Fed," Bernanke says with a wan smile.

He's earned the benefit of the doubt. It's now up to our dysfunctional political system to let him do his job — and to fix the financial system so that he never has to save the world again.

Instead of hunkering down like a coward, he was A Man of Action During a Time of Crisis

Excerpts From Time Magazine Person of the Year 2009 Article:  Click here for entire article

Professor Bernanke of Princeton was a leading scholar of the Great Depression. He knew how the passive Fed of the 1930s helped create the calamity — through its stubborn refusal to expand the money supply and its tragic lack of imagination and experimentation. Chairman Bernanke of Washington was determined not to be the Fed chairman who presided over Depression 2.0. So when turbulence in U.S. housing markets metastasized into the worst global financial crisis in more than 75 years, he conjured up trillions of new dollars and blasted them into the economy; engineered massive public rescues of failing private companies; ratcheted down interest rates to zero; lent to mutual funds, hedge funds, foreign banks, investment banks, manufacturers, insurers and other borrowers who had never dreamed of receiving Fed cash; jump-started stalled credit markets in everything from car loans to corporate paper; revolutionized housing finance with a breathtaking shopping spree for mortgage bonds; blew up the Fed's balance sheet to three times its previous size; and generally transformed the staid arena of central banking into a stage for desperate improvisation. He didn't just reshape U.S. monetary policy; he led an effort to save the world economy.

Once Bernanke realized a disaster was unfolding, he made a conscious effort to project calm, even when he was working seven days a week and all hours of the night, even when the Wall Street types around him were screaming and cursing like stressed-out sailors. "He decided he wouldn't be a deer in the headlights and wouldn't let the world blow up," recalls Columbia University economist Frederic Mishkin, who was on the Fed board at the time. He also made a conscious decision to avoid the mistakes made by the bankers of the 1930s — not only their stingy refusals to supply cash but also their inflexible inside-the-box thinking. He hung their picture on his office wall. He held "blue sky" brainstorming sessions to solicit unorthodox ideas. An obscure legal provision gave the Fed broad latitude in "unusual and exigent circumstances," and he did whatever it took. "

"I shudder to think what the world would be like if Ben hadn't been running the Fed," former Secretary Paulson says. "

One Truly Impressive Leader

General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan:

One of his first moves in Afghanistan was to order US military and diplomatic convoys to keep a lower profile.  His reasoning:  "It was important not to seem arrogant and act as occupiers might," McChrystal said.  "I know they were driving in a way they thought was best for their security, but I needed them to understand how totally offensive it was to Afghans."

His process in determining if additional troops were needed:  "We analyzed, we calculated, we war-gamed and came to the conclusion we needed more troops."

While waiting for Obama to make a decision on Afghanistan:  "Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome.  This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely."  Obama's respect for McChrystal multiplied.  The President not only wants to hear McChrystal's assessment, but he demands that McChrystal tells him what he thinks.

McChrystal's unique motivational process:  He sent his special operators copies of the Yeats poem "The Second Coming."  He directed their attention to the lines "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity" and told them that their mission was to turn those lines around!

Champions Adjust

Billie Jean King describing how she changed her plan even before the match started against Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes" match:

"Initially, I had planned to play an aggressive, serve and volley game against Bobby (who was 26 years her senior).  I knew I was in great shape, but I did not know what kind of shape he was in.  I changed my strategy on the spot.  Instead of ending points quickly, I would get him into long rallies, back and forth, early in the match, still going to the net when it made sense, but wearing him out.  I visualized that for a second or two, then said to myself:  That's it.  Do it."

"If after 5 or 6 long points, Bobby wasn't tired, I would have to re-assess the situation.  I trusted my instincts and it worked beautifully.  He did get tired."

6-4, 6-3, 6-3, King won in straight sets.

Continuous Improvement

"I'm a work in progress.  I'm just an ordinary guy with a great job.  And, like any human being, I'm constantly trying to improve."  Denzel Washington

No Brees(zing) in his career

What sets Drew Brees, the record shattering QB of the Saints, apart, from say JaMarcus Russell, the bumbling, fumbling QB of the Raiders:

1. Sean Payton the coach of the Saints in 2006 saw in Brees what many scouts couldn't, that is someone with the ferocity, drive and work ethic of two men.
2. Tom Cable the coach of the Raiders continues to view Russell as a lazy no show in camp, in practice and in games.
3. Carl Nicks, a teammate of Brees, describes Brees drive for perfection as contagious.  If he told me to jump off a cliff in order to win a game, I'd do it, says Nicks.
4. An unnamed teammate of Russell, was more than happy to rat him out as going to Las Vegas instead of attending the final team meeting of 2009.
5. Bree's Motto:  "Finish Strong."  Every Practice. Every rep. Give everything you have, until the very end.
6. Russell's Motto:  None to speak of.
7. Bree's on what it takes to win when the going gets tough:  Sometimes we get so caught up in the prize that we forget the process.  So let's forget about the prize for now and refocus on the process.
8. Russell on why the Raiders can't win:  "Up and down, Up and down" as in the team's performance, but not his.
9. Sportswriters crediting Brees as a passer with flashbulb-fast decision-making skills with laser like downfield accuracy, rare abilities that can be developed solely through mind-numbing levels of repetition and study.
10. Sportswriters poking fun of Russell as consistently overthrowing his target by 40 yards achievable only by not doing much of anything before, during and after games.
    

Characteristics of a good stock trader that could be applicable in other professions

By Nazy Massoud
Read entire article here

So how did the super traders develop their mental edge? Even though they are all different, they share certain beliefs and characteristics:
1. They know their market.
2.They know why they are getting into their positions.
3.They know their risk/reward ratio.
4.They have an expectation to win.
5.They are not afraid of taking losses.
6.They have a set of rules that they follow. They realize that these are dynamic and you have to review it.
7.They have contingency plans.
8.They all have discipline.
9.They do not give up. They have intelligent perseverance.
10.They believe in themselves.
11.They love what they do!

Hard Working Prisoners in NY

Labels and Tags of unused clothes donated to the Clothing Bank in New York are removed by volunteers including inmates on work release from the Lincoln Correctional Facility in Harlem.  "Hard workers," says Luis Jimenez, Director of the Clothing Bank.  Click here to read the NY Times article on the Clothing Bank.

Do you have any of these type of employees, maybe on a lesser scale???

Reports indicate that JaMarcus Russell, the 32 million dollar man who was drafted to save the Raiders, missed the Raiders' final team meeting of the 2009 season. Not a big deal if, as it was originally believed, Russell missed the meeting for "personal reasons". It's a bit more of a big deal if, as we have now learned, Russell took off for Las Vegas in lieu of that final meeting.

Russell has failed to distinguish himself in any positive way.  In other words, whether you prefer traditional stats or the new sabermetrics, JaMarcus Russell is the worst quarterback in pro football.  Only the Raiders, with JaMarcus Russell, can boast the first-overall selection of a quarterback so uninterested in the betterment of his team, or his own development as a player.  Lane Kiffin and Tom Cable, the team's last two coaches, have come out publicly against Russell's production and work ethic.  Russell has also been criticized by teammates privately, for not working hard enough off the field. The reason reporters knew about Russell's absence Monday was because of a tip from a teammate in the locker room who couldn't hide his disgust.

Don't go here if you're lazy....

Oklahoma City, known as the hardest working city in America also has the state motto "Work Conquers All"

She "shops", he "buys"

Facts from the research paper titled "Men Buy, Women Shop" from the Wharton School of Business:

In short, when men buys, it's a chore.  When women shops, it's a hobby.
Women:  Lack of help from the sales associates is the #1 reason for lost business.
Men:  Out of stock is the #1 reason for lost business.

Women:  Tell me more about the items that may be of interest to me and give me some alternatives.  Also, tell me something about your store in general.  Sales associates must be knowledgeable, engaging and friendly when dealing with women shoppers.
Men:  Just tell me where the item is, and ring me up fast so I can get out of here.  Sales associates better know where the products are that men are looking for and quickly ring them up.

She needs more interactions, collaboration and support from the sales associate during the buying process.  He needs the sales associate to hurry up, stop wasting my time and get me what I need.  If I have a question, I'll ask you.  Now ring me up.  Pronto! :-)