As a resident teacher, former Assistant Professor of Medicine, and a coach I advised students to learn five things a day. Do that daily and you'll acquire a lot of good stuff.
1) Rubber Band Man. I sometimes wear a rubber band on my left wrist. Every time I whine, I switch it to the other wrist. Nobody likes a whiner and this simple tip reduces whining. It never goes to zero.
2) Keep 'reference' books nearby. The Ultimate Coaches' Career Manual is next to me, sharing thousands of quotes. "Put your players in as many win/win situations as possible." - Jim Tracy
"Play percentages and do the little things...you try not to get beat by the little things because they all add up." - Red Auerbach
3) Thank someone every day. In Up the Organization, Robert Townsend wrote, "Thanks is the cheapest form of compensation." It makes two people happier - the source and the target.
4) Share credit. Everyone wants to be appreciated. Karma is real. "Credit hogs" get slaughtered eventually.
5) Use a story to teach a lesson. It was the next to last game of the baseball season and the Red Sox and Orioles were both out of contention. The Sox led 8-3 in the bottom of the eighth with a man on first when there was a single to right. The throw was wild to third but left fielder B.J. Surhoff backed up the play and saved a run. Meaningless? To me, it represented classic professionalism. Play the right way, regardless of the situation.
Lagniappe. Study great teachers like Jay Wright.
Coach Jay Wright teaching footwork
— The Courtside Vault (@CourtsideVault) August 30, 2024
Driving and shooting options off of an off ball screen pic.twitter.com/rXxztRC5pM
Lagniappe 2. DHO is undertaught and underutilized at lower levels.
DHO 3 v 3
— Reid Ouse (@reidouse) August 30, 2024
We give the offense an advantage. Now it’s up to them to keep/use that advantage. pic.twitter.com/p1OmAP7CoM
Lagniappe 3. Players should see this.
Better the man, better the ball player. pic.twitter.com/5UkMe2TZ44
— Inky Johnson (@inkyjohnson) August 30, 2024