Analyze this quote “Either you think, or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.” --F. Scott Fitzgerald
Thinking is a powerful weapon. Positive thinking can help lead you to success, while negative thoughts can ultimately doom you to failure.
One must be able to think for themselves or they will never be able to form their own values and beliefs. I believe that the power of thinking has lead me to form solid foundations of what I believe is right and wrong. Whether in political, social, financial, or other terms the thinking I emulate is that which I have formed on my own as best as I could.
I consider myself well read. I read all the time from newspapers to websites to magazines. I think about who is writing, what they are writing about, and most importantly why. Finding a writer who has truly independent beliefs is difficult. Frankly, I cannot name one off the top of my head. It is crucial in society to not read anything at face value, but to critically think about what is being stated and determining why you think it is being stated. This makes reading much more enjoyable and rewarding to me.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Journal #14, Week 5
My biggest leadership/management mistake was...
I am a proud, yet humble person at times. I am not going to ever say that I was a perfect leader or manager, nor do I think I ever truly experienced greatness. it is quite easy for me to think back and realize the many blunders I made along the way. Pegging one that was the biggest mistake is quite difficult and I learned many more lessons from failing than I ever did through winning or succeeding.
Just to grab one mistake I made recently will show what I mean. My girls high school tennis team played a school earlier this season that we had dominated last year. I knew that their team was young last year and hadn't lost much in terms of talented players to graduation. We entered this match expecting our results to mirror last year's even though we had lost 5 significant players from last year's team.
Going into the match, my goal was for our team to play confidently and be assured that we were the better team. I had advised the girls that we should try to play aggressively and end matches quickly as to not let the other team feel they were ever in the match.
Our young opponents showed up hungry and had worked really hard in the off season to improve their talent level. My girls, thinking they were much better than they were, grew frustrated that they were unable to win as easily as they had anticipated. My court side coaching became a process of saying things like, "they are better than we anticipated, we have to play harder and smarter to get the results we want." My girls lacked the ability to overcome the change in talent level they had expected and a couple ended up losing their individual matches even though we won the overall team match.
Our next match is against a similar type of team. We beat York High School soundly last year with our more veteran team. York returns all but one player and this time I will have a better mindset going into the match. I will still tell them that they should have confidence in the fact that they are the better players. However, I will caution them not to let their over confidence get out of control. We must play to 100% of our ability if we want to attain team success in this match
I am a proud, yet humble person at times. I am not going to ever say that I was a perfect leader or manager, nor do I think I ever truly experienced greatness. it is quite easy for me to think back and realize the many blunders I made along the way. Pegging one that was the biggest mistake is quite difficult and I learned many more lessons from failing than I ever did through winning or succeeding.
Just to grab one mistake I made recently will show what I mean. My girls high school tennis team played a school earlier this season that we had dominated last year. I knew that their team was young last year and hadn't lost much in terms of talented players to graduation. We entered this match expecting our results to mirror last year's even though we had lost 5 significant players from last year's team.
Going into the match, my goal was for our team to play confidently and be assured that we were the better team. I had advised the girls that we should try to play aggressively and end matches quickly as to not let the other team feel they were ever in the match.
Our young opponents showed up hungry and had worked really hard in the off season to improve their talent level. My girls, thinking they were much better than they were, grew frustrated that they were unable to win as easily as they had anticipated. My court side coaching became a process of saying things like, "they are better than we anticipated, we have to play harder and smarter to get the results we want." My girls lacked the ability to overcome the change in talent level they had expected and a couple ended up losing their individual matches even though we won the overall team match.
Our next match is against a similar type of team. We beat York High School soundly last year with our more veteran team. York returns all but one player and this time I will have a better mindset going into the match. I will still tell them that they should have confidence in the fact that they are the better players. However, I will caution them not to let their over confidence get out of control. We must play to 100% of our ability if we want to attain team success in this match
Journal #13, Week 5
What item do I own, of little monetary value do I own that I wouldn't sell for $5000?
The first thing that comes to mind when I read this question was my family. Probably the most sacred family possession I own are sally and my wedding pictures (and video). It's tough to say they are of little monetary value since we spent hundreds of dollars on them, but in the free market they have little value to anyone outside our family.
A wedding day is a special day for a couple that they often won't realize until much later. I remember arguing with my wife about what pictures we needed and who needed to be in them. I was stressing over the $20 here and there that added up. In the end, it was more than worth what we spent. The memory of that day is minimal in my mind anymore, but the photographs & video are so special.
Sally's father, whom she was extremely close with, passed away 6 months after our wedding. I remember always knowing him as he was near the end, which was very sick with chronic diabetes. Seeing Sally walk down the aisle with him and his cane instead of in his wheelchair had the entire ceremony near tears - and Sally was bawling as she walked. Their first dance, he discarded the cane and embraced her for the entire song which was another tear jerker.
My grandparents on my father's side are also in the twilight of their lives and my grandfather resides in a nursing home and is currently confined to a wheelchair. The memories we captured of them are exactly how I want to remember them both. They were happy, dancing, and generally enjoying themselves that day. To look back at that always makes we well up with happiness.
The first thing that comes to mind when I read this question was my family. Probably the most sacred family possession I own are sally and my wedding pictures (and video). It's tough to say they are of little monetary value since we spent hundreds of dollars on them, but in the free market they have little value to anyone outside our family.
A wedding day is a special day for a couple that they often won't realize until much later. I remember arguing with my wife about what pictures we needed and who needed to be in them. I was stressing over the $20 here and there that added up. In the end, it was more than worth what we spent. The memory of that day is minimal in my mind anymore, but the photographs & video are so special.
Sally's father, whom she was extremely close with, passed away 6 months after our wedding. I remember always knowing him as he was near the end, which was very sick with chronic diabetes. Seeing Sally walk down the aisle with him and his cane instead of in his wheelchair had the entire ceremony near tears - and Sally was bawling as she walked. Their first dance, he discarded the cane and embraced her for the entire song which was another tear jerker.
My grandparents on my father's side are also in the twilight of their lives and my grandfather resides in a nursing home and is currently confined to a wheelchair. The memories we captured of them are exactly how I want to remember them both. They were happy, dancing, and generally enjoying themselves that day. To look back at that always makes we well up with happiness.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Journal 12, Week 4
Coaching the mental aspect of tennis
It is easy for me to coach young players in the fundamentals of tennis. I understand them clearly and have a pretty good method of relating an athletes ability to create a proper technique. Fundamentals are a crucial aspect of the game and being a successful tennis player will be challenging if the fundamentals are not properly implemented into a player's game.
However, I deal with teenagers on a daily basis that are at a difficult time in their lives to overcome mental dilemmas. Some players have stronger grasps on fundamentals and rely on their natural ability to make shots turn into points wheras others lacking the fundamental strength end up lacking the ability to execute the strategy. From what I have gathered over the past 2 1/2 years of coaching tennis, a players mind works through (in this order):
1) Physical aspects of the sport
2) Mental aspects of the sport
3) Emotional aspects of the sport
The players with fundamentals are generally able to start to think through mental aspects. In a nutshell, they know how to serve and hit balls. They are able to progress into the mental aspects of the game.
The mental aspects are where strategy comes in. Knowing how to hit the ball and being able to decide where and when to hit it to spots on the court is tougher to teach. Situations in tennis happen within fractions of a second and a player needs to develop a feel for the game at this level. Of my team of 18 girls this season, I have two that are able to do this. It is not surprising to me that these are my two top players.
The emotional aspect is often confused with the mental aspect as it is often referred to as mental toughness. I seperate emotional from mental by thinking about how quickly a player can process a good or bad point and make necessary adjustments to their game. The ability to understand how the match is progressing and further analyzing why it is happening is a complicated thing.
For example, I coached a player in a match during last spring that had tremendous success in the first set at playing shots over and over to his opponents backhand side. His opponent made mistake after mistake hitting backhand balls out and into the net and my player. My player was playing a strong mental game. However, the second set was totally different. My player continued to play to the backhand in all rallies. By this point, his opponent had fixed his fundamental mistakes and missed many fewer shots. My player began to make mistakes at this point as he was trying for difficult shots with the same goal of getting the ball to his opponents backhand. He failed to realize that his opponent clearly knew where every shot was going and he was able to cheat to that side and set himself up for easier strokes. When he did this, my player was not mentally strong enough to change his strategy and try to use the entire court. He ended up losing a close match due to the lack of mental toughness.
I am challenged by a few problems in teaching the mental side. First, I have many players in my program and I feel my duty as coach is to work with them all as evenly as possible. Also, I can't be on the courts due to the rules of the game to point things out after every point. My players need to gain the mental and emotional skills on their own for the most point with my guidance to the best of my ability. This is generally going to be easier for a player that is willing to study and learn the game outside of playing a lot of competitive situations. However, finding teenagers that are willing to make that sacrifice is very rare to find.
It is easy for me to coach young players in the fundamentals of tennis. I understand them clearly and have a pretty good method of relating an athletes ability to create a proper technique. Fundamentals are a crucial aspect of the game and being a successful tennis player will be challenging if the fundamentals are not properly implemented into a player's game.
However, I deal with teenagers on a daily basis that are at a difficult time in their lives to overcome mental dilemmas. Some players have stronger grasps on fundamentals and rely on their natural ability to make shots turn into points wheras others lacking the fundamental strength end up lacking the ability to execute the strategy. From what I have gathered over the past 2 1/2 years of coaching tennis, a players mind works through (in this order):
1) Physical aspects of the sport
2) Mental aspects of the sport
3) Emotional aspects of the sport
The players with fundamentals are generally able to start to think through mental aspects. In a nutshell, they know how to serve and hit balls. They are able to progress into the mental aspects of the game.
The mental aspects are where strategy comes in. Knowing how to hit the ball and being able to decide where and when to hit it to spots on the court is tougher to teach. Situations in tennis happen within fractions of a second and a player needs to develop a feel for the game at this level. Of my team of 18 girls this season, I have two that are able to do this. It is not surprising to me that these are my two top players.
The emotional aspect is often confused with the mental aspect as it is often referred to as mental toughness. I seperate emotional from mental by thinking about how quickly a player can process a good or bad point and make necessary adjustments to their game. The ability to understand how the match is progressing and further analyzing why it is happening is a complicated thing.
For example, I coached a player in a match during last spring that had tremendous success in the first set at playing shots over and over to his opponents backhand side. His opponent made mistake after mistake hitting backhand balls out and into the net and my player. My player was playing a strong mental game. However, the second set was totally different. My player continued to play to the backhand in all rallies. By this point, his opponent had fixed his fundamental mistakes and missed many fewer shots. My player began to make mistakes at this point as he was trying for difficult shots with the same goal of getting the ball to his opponents backhand. He failed to realize that his opponent clearly knew where every shot was going and he was able to cheat to that side and set himself up for easier strokes. When he did this, my player was not mentally strong enough to change his strategy and try to use the entire court. He ended up losing a close match due to the lack of mental toughness.
I am challenged by a few problems in teaching the mental side. First, I have many players in my program and I feel my duty as coach is to work with them all as evenly as possible. Also, I can't be on the courts due to the rules of the game to point things out after every point. My players need to gain the mental and emotional skills on their own for the most point with my guidance to the best of my ability. This is generally going to be easier for a player that is willing to study and learn the game outside of playing a lot of competitive situations. However, finding teenagers that are willing to make that sacrifice is very rare to find.
Journal 11, Week 4
A discussion with a loved one about leadership
This happens fairly often in my home life. My wife leads the Winthrop University volleyball program and I lead the Northwestern High School tennis program. We both love the work we do and feel very rewarded at the impact we have on young people's lives.
I devoured the Wooden book that was assigned for this Leadership class. I am infatuated with Wooden's Pyramid of Success and have been trying to implement it into my daily coaching methods. It is not easy and I'm sure Coach Wooden would agree. Our society puts so much emphasis on winning that it is hard to discuss being successful without having an exceptional win-loss record. Currently my wife's team is 5-5 and mine is 2-2.
Our most recent conversation about leadership was in regards to quotes in the paper made by Withrop's men's soccer coach after a 5-3 win against a smaller and less talented team. Coach Posipanko was clearly dissapointed by his team's defensive efforts. His comments were harsh toward the team's ability to stay focused defensively and to step up to make plays for the team. None of his quotes commented on the offensive efforts that lead to the 5 goals.
I was dissapointed that the offensive production was not mentioned by the coach. I felt that those players or the offense in general deserved some credit in doing it's job. I certainly understand where Coach Posipanko was coming from though. When his team plays a higher level of competition, they cannot allow team breakdowns to allow 3 goals. The higher competition will not allow his team to excecute on offense like it did against this lesser quality opponent.
My wife thought the comments were completely appropriate. Despite the offensive production, the entire team needs to know that the focus of all team members needs to be on the defensive end. Her team struggles with similar trouble on defense with inconsistent effort both mentally and physically so she could easily relate to the frustration.
This happens fairly often in my home life. My wife leads the Winthrop University volleyball program and I lead the Northwestern High School tennis program. We both love the work we do and feel very rewarded at the impact we have on young people's lives.
I devoured the Wooden book that was assigned for this Leadership class. I am infatuated with Wooden's Pyramid of Success and have been trying to implement it into my daily coaching methods. It is not easy and I'm sure Coach Wooden would agree. Our society puts so much emphasis on winning that it is hard to discuss being successful without having an exceptional win-loss record. Currently my wife's team is 5-5 and mine is 2-2.
Our most recent conversation about leadership was in regards to quotes in the paper made by Withrop's men's soccer coach after a 5-3 win against a smaller and less talented team. Coach Posipanko was clearly dissapointed by his team's defensive efforts. His comments were harsh toward the team's ability to stay focused defensively and to step up to make plays for the team. None of his quotes commented on the offensive efforts that lead to the 5 goals.
I was dissapointed that the offensive production was not mentioned by the coach. I felt that those players or the offense in general deserved some credit in doing it's job. I certainly understand where Coach Posipanko was coming from though. When his team plays a higher level of competition, they cannot allow team breakdowns to allow 3 goals. The higher competition will not allow his team to excecute on offense like it did against this lesser quality opponent.
My wife thought the comments were completely appropriate. Despite the offensive production, the entire team needs to know that the focus of all team members needs to be on the defensive end. Her team struggles with similar trouble on defense with inconsistent effort both mentally and physically so she could easily relate to the frustration.
Journal 10, Week 4
My best thinking tends to happen when...
1) I have a quiet area
2) I have time to reflect
3) I am in a good mood
My best thinking generally is when I am alone in my home or car. Limiting distractions allows me to have a conversation to myself inside my head. I don't necessarily have to have the TV or radio off, but on just as background noise at a low level. If it is too quiet, I'll tend to get distracted out of boredom.
I generally do not think well when I am rushed. I just finisheed writing 2 papers that were due within 24 hours of each other for the same class. I found two things challenging about that. First, it was tough to keep my thoughts straight on which I was focusing on. Second, I wanted them both to be completed ahead of schedule so I felt rushed to get ideas to paper rather than truly focusing on the quality of those ideas. Neither paper will be my best work.
Sundays are usually my best thinking days. My wife and I attend church every Sunday and we meet with some friends afterward in a small group session to discuss ideas on God, Jesus, the Bible, and other religous topics. The small group allows us to speak freely of our thoughts and opinions on Christianity. While I do not feel this atmosphere creates my best thinking and best responses, I usually think about our conversation the rest of the day on Sunday while I am working on other things. It's a very liberating time.
1) I have a quiet area
2) I have time to reflect
3) I am in a good mood
My best thinking generally is when I am alone in my home or car. Limiting distractions allows me to have a conversation to myself inside my head. I don't necessarily have to have the TV or radio off, but on just as background noise at a low level. If it is too quiet, I'll tend to get distracted out of boredom.
I generally do not think well when I am rushed. I just finisheed writing 2 papers that were due within 24 hours of each other for the same class. I found two things challenging about that. First, it was tough to keep my thoughts straight on which I was focusing on. Second, I wanted them both to be completed ahead of schedule so I felt rushed to get ideas to paper rather than truly focusing on the quality of those ideas. Neither paper will be my best work.
Sundays are usually my best thinking days. My wife and I attend church every Sunday and we meet with some friends afterward in a small group session to discuss ideas on God, Jesus, the Bible, and other religous topics. The small group allows us to speak freely of our thoughts and opinions on Christianity. While I do not feel this atmosphere creates my best thinking and best responses, I usually think about our conversation the rest of the day on Sunday while I am working on other things. It's a very liberating time.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Journal #9, Week 3
One of my biggest management/leadership success is...
Our end of year banquets for the tennis teams. The kids are awarded letters or certificates of participation. They are handed recognition for leadership (captains) and academics. And they receive all this in front of their families and teammates to instill in them a sense of pride. The kids are proud and I am proud of them regardless of how they fared in competition that season. They put in the time and work to get out of sports what is meant to be had - results.
Not every player has the god-given ability to be a tennis champion. I don't set out to make anyone a tennis champion. I try to instill in them the will to work to the top of their potential so they can see how far they can go. Some players have higher potential than others and it is not fair to judge them side by side, but rather as individuals. If every individual I work with performs to their maximum capability, I am satisfied.
My teams at Northwestern high school have not achieved a high level of success according to wins and losses. Both the girls and boys have typically fared about .500 in the win percentage. However, I have tons of players learning a sport that they will be able to play for the rest of their lives.
My first year coaching, I had 12 boys come out for tennis. Last year was my second year and I had 32 boys show interest and 23 that ended up playing the season. I take this as a sign of my success in getting the sport popular within the school, which I believe is my main job.
Our end of year banquets for the tennis teams. The kids are awarded letters or certificates of participation. They are handed recognition for leadership (captains) and academics. And they receive all this in front of their families and teammates to instill in them a sense of pride. The kids are proud and I am proud of them regardless of how they fared in competition that season. They put in the time and work to get out of sports what is meant to be had - results.
Not every player has the god-given ability to be a tennis champion. I don't set out to make anyone a tennis champion. I try to instill in them the will to work to the top of their potential so they can see how far they can go. Some players have higher potential than others and it is not fair to judge them side by side, but rather as individuals. If every individual I work with performs to their maximum capability, I am satisfied.
My teams at Northwestern high school have not achieved a high level of success according to wins and losses. Both the girls and boys have typically fared about .500 in the win percentage. However, I have tons of players learning a sport that they will be able to play for the rest of their lives.
My first year coaching, I had 12 boys come out for tennis. Last year was my second year and I had 32 boys show interest and 23 that ended up playing the season. I take this as a sign of my success in getting the sport popular within the school, which I believe is my main job.
Journal #8, Week 3
What daily activities do I perform with the greatest of care?
I would say that, as it relates to coaching high school tennis, I take pride in:
1) Organization
2) Planning
3) Efficiency
I keep tons of statisitcs on my kids on the tennis team at Northwestern. I have players on the sidelines tracking each point and how it is won or lost by our team. This data tells me where we are currently strong and weak as a team and through the individual players.
I also take pride in planning all details of the program. Every practice I know what I want to get accomplished and I meet with the team briefly before practice to set my goals of the practice. I take pride in starting and ending on time so I want them to know exactly what is expected of them.
This rolls directly into efficiency which I am very demanding in. I want practice to run on time because the kids have other interests that are important to them as well as their top priority of school work. The more effective we use our time and reduce time wasted, the better chance we have of getting out on schedule and getting the kids to their schoolwork or other activities.
I would say that, as it relates to coaching high school tennis, I take pride in:
1) Organization
2) Planning
3) Efficiency
I keep tons of statisitcs on my kids on the tennis team at Northwestern. I have players on the sidelines tracking each point and how it is won or lost by our team. This data tells me where we are currently strong and weak as a team and through the individual players.
I also take pride in planning all details of the program. Every practice I know what I want to get accomplished and I meet with the team briefly before practice to set my goals of the practice. I take pride in starting and ending on time so I want them to know exactly what is expected of them.
This rolls directly into efficiency which I am very demanding in. I want practice to run on time because the kids have other interests that are important to them as well as their top priority of school work. The more effective we use our time and reduce time wasted, the better chance we have of getting out on schedule and getting the kids to their schoolwork or other activities.
Journal # 7, Week 3
Why am I in the EMBA program?
Logically, I am in the program to further my business skills and knowledge to make myself a more marketable employee and manager.
Realistically, I am in the program because I was advised to take this program over the evening program. Based on my employment history, I was advised it would be a better fit for me.
I entered the program hoping to network and gain contacts that would lead to future employment opportunities. With the downturn in the economy, I am not so sure how that will pan out come May. I plan on aggressively pursuing employment after the new year.
However, I think what I have learned most from the program thus far is that I am more of a theory person than a quantitative person. I enjoy learning new methods of thinking toward business solutions than the operational side of things. This has shocked my system and lead me to believe that I may not be happy in a traditional organizational structure. I may be better off focusing on a career in academia.
Also, I have continued to coach and teach tennis to junior tennis players in the Rock Hill area. I love this job, however it pays peanuts and is not a viable long term career unless it is coupled with a teaching position in the school district. Once this semester winds down, I plan on seriously pursuing teaching opportunities with the Rock Hill school district that would enable me to teach in either business or mathematics. I love watching young minds work athletically and I believe that I can engage young minds academically as well.
Mostly, I plan on listening to what God tells me I should do. I have a loving wife and supportive co-workers at the school district. I will rely on the advice of all those parties to guide me to my proper place in life on earth.
Logically, I am in the program to further my business skills and knowledge to make myself a more marketable employee and manager.
Realistically, I am in the program because I was advised to take this program over the evening program. Based on my employment history, I was advised it would be a better fit for me.
I entered the program hoping to network and gain contacts that would lead to future employment opportunities. With the downturn in the economy, I am not so sure how that will pan out come May. I plan on aggressively pursuing employment after the new year.
However, I think what I have learned most from the program thus far is that I am more of a theory person than a quantitative person. I enjoy learning new methods of thinking toward business solutions than the operational side of things. This has shocked my system and lead me to believe that I may not be happy in a traditional organizational structure. I may be better off focusing on a career in academia.
Also, I have continued to coach and teach tennis to junior tennis players in the Rock Hill area. I love this job, however it pays peanuts and is not a viable long term career unless it is coupled with a teaching position in the school district. Once this semester winds down, I plan on seriously pursuing teaching opportunities with the Rock Hill school district that would enable me to teach in either business or mathematics. I love watching young minds work athletically and I believe that I can engage young minds academically as well.
Mostly, I plan on listening to what God tells me I should do. I have a loving wife and supportive co-workers at the school district. I will rely on the advice of all those parties to guide me to my proper place in life on earth.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Journal #6, Week 3
I completed John Wooden's book last night "Essential Wooden." It was an easy read both in the short length of the book and by it being written by someone with such similar views to mine on both leadership and basketball.
Wooden was an efficient human being. He was a meticulous planner who set high expectations of those that worked for him as well as himself. At the same time, he worked tirelessly to make sure that it was possible for his teams to reach success. He understood that it wasn't good enough to set a goal if he didn't do all that he can to help them reach it.
I love that Wooden didn't like to mention winning. He didn't see winning and success as being synonyms. I have adapted a Wooden quote into my email signature that sums his theory on success best:
"For maximum team accomplishment, each individual must prepare himself to be the best of his ability and then put his talents to work for the team. This must be done unselfishly, without thought of personal glory. When no one worries about who will receive the credit, far more can be accomplished in any group activity." - John Wooden, Preseason Letter to Team, 1964
Another quote I have used recently is from Coach Joe Paterno. JoPa was asked in an interview if his incoming freshmen had a will to win. JoPa, rambling through an answer, stated something that was spot on:
"Everyone wants to win. You and I want to win any time we want to compete in a game. What I look for is for players that have the will to prepare to win. If the players are willing to make the sacrifices in preparation of the contest, they will win more often than not. Most of the players on this roster have prepared well."
Paterno and Wooden have so much in common. Being coaches in collegiate sports is as competitive an environment as one can be placed in. However, coaches that go for wins over team success are usually going to fail. Similar is this to a boss in business that focuses on their quarterly results ahead of long term viability of the organization. Failing to see the vision of the company over the short term results is a dangerous venture.
Wooden was an efficient human being. He was a meticulous planner who set high expectations of those that worked for him as well as himself. At the same time, he worked tirelessly to make sure that it was possible for his teams to reach success. He understood that it wasn't good enough to set a goal if he didn't do all that he can to help them reach it.
I love that Wooden didn't like to mention winning. He didn't see winning and success as being synonyms. I have adapted a Wooden quote into my email signature that sums his theory on success best:
"For maximum team accomplishment, each individual must prepare himself to be the best of his ability and then put his talents to work for the team. This must be done unselfishly, without thought of personal glory. When no one worries about who will receive the credit, far more can be accomplished in any group activity." - John Wooden, Preseason Letter to Team, 1964
Another quote I have used recently is from Coach Joe Paterno. JoPa was asked in an interview if his incoming freshmen had a will to win. JoPa, rambling through an answer, stated something that was spot on:
"Everyone wants to win. You and I want to win any time we want to compete in a game. What I look for is for players that have the will to prepare to win. If the players are willing to make the sacrifices in preparation of the contest, they will win more often than not. Most of the players on this roster have prepared well."
Paterno and Wooden have so much in common. Being coaches in collegiate sports is as competitive an environment as one can be placed in. However, coaches that go for wins over team success are usually going to fail. Similar is this to a boss in business that focuses on their quarterly results ahead of long term viability of the organization. Failing to see the vision of the company over the short term results is a dangerous venture.
Journal #5, Week 2
Progressive Insurance, Management in Claims
I worked at Progressive for 7 years both in Atlanta and in Charlotte. I worked for 7 different managers and reported to 13 supervisors.
The layout of management was logical. The claim representatives reported to a supervisor in a group of 4-7. The supervisor reported to a branch manager who oversaw 15-25. Levels of claims were delegated to reps based on their experience and skill levels. Supervisors were in charge of reps based on the supervisors experience and skill. Managers oversaw more complex groups when they showed they had the knowledge and ability. There was a constant learning environment and training was continuous.
Progressive's corporate goals for claims handling are: Accuracy, Efficiency, Customer Experience, and Profit. Where I always saw a hang up in the process was the combination of accuracy and efficiency. Certainly, claims reps with higher skill sets and more experience were granted larger dollar figures of authority to issue payments. However, the reps were constantly having audits held over their heads to ensure accuracy.
When I worked as a claims rep, I found it challenging to strive for an efficient work environment that seemed to over emphasize the accuracy piece. I was told to respond timely, pay claims quickly, and look to close claims within time parameters. At the same time, I was scared to make mistakes. It was a double edged sword that I continuously faced.
I always felt that the audits should have a more holistic approach to them. When claims are reviewed, they are looked at as if they were the only claim that the rep handled at the time. If an auditor takes into consideration that the rep was working at 110% of normal, there should be some slack as to the error rate they encounter. At the same time, is a rep is being worked at 90% of normal, they should be held to a higher standard for accuracy and more scrutinized for careless or lazy mistakes.
When I supervised and managed teams, I always took this into consideration in day to day accuracy issues. If I was getting 120% productivity out of my reps, I was quick to praise them. I saw it as a sign that among 5 reps, I was getting the work of 6. Therefore, if we save $50K in salary and benefits I felt that it was OK for some careless errors to happen. However, I was always quick to point out that if we were at 80 or 90% efficiency, we were overpaying them for their work and it better be financially worth it to the group.
Just my 2 cents...
I worked at Progressive for 7 years both in Atlanta and in Charlotte. I worked for 7 different managers and reported to 13 supervisors.
The layout of management was logical. The claim representatives reported to a supervisor in a group of 4-7. The supervisor reported to a branch manager who oversaw 15-25. Levels of claims were delegated to reps based on their experience and skill levels. Supervisors were in charge of reps based on the supervisors experience and skill. Managers oversaw more complex groups when they showed they had the knowledge and ability. There was a constant learning environment and training was continuous.
Progressive's corporate goals for claims handling are: Accuracy, Efficiency, Customer Experience, and Profit. Where I always saw a hang up in the process was the combination of accuracy and efficiency. Certainly, claims reps with higher skill sets and more experience were granted larger dollar figures of authority to issue payments. However, the reps were constantly having audits held over their heads to ensure accuracy.
When I worked as a claims rep, I found it challenging to strive for an efficient work environment that seemed to over emphasize the accuracy piece. I was told to respond timely, pay claims quickly, and look to close claims within time parameters. At the same time, I was scared to make mistakes. It was a double edged sword that I continuously faced.
I always felt that the audits should have a more holistic approach to them. When claims are reviewed, they are looked at as if they were the only claim that the rep handled at the time. If an auditor takes into consideration that the rep was working at 110% of normal, there should be some slack as to the error rate they encounter. At the same time, is a rep is being worked at 90% of normal, they should be held to a higher standard for accuracy and more scrutinized for careless or lazy mistakes.
When I supervised and managed teams, I always took this into consideration in day to day accuracy issues. If I was getting 120% productivity out of my reps, I was quick to praise them. I saw it as a sign that among 5 reps, I was getting the work of 6. Therefore, if we save $50K in salary and benefits I felt that it was OK for some careless errors to happen. However, I was always quick to point out that if we were at 80 or 90% efficiency, we were overpaying them for their work and it better be financially worth it to the group.
Just my 2 cents...
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