Organizational Success

Dan Hawkins, Colorado U., cufb@colorado.edu

2008 Nike Coach of the Year Clinic
Sun., March 9, 2008

“Excellence is to do common things in an uncommon way.” --Booker T. Washington

BURN the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

“Deserve success – you can’t ensure success, but you can deserve success.”
Life is trying to shove standards and circumstances down our throats. Don’t accept it.
Be abnormal!

Pyramid of Organizational Success

Chemistry

Leadership

Shared vision for our program –

goals, philosophy

Supported by Resources –
personnel, financial, facilities, equipment
Help admin. understand
importance of football
Administrative Support
Standard of Excellence

marketing principle – takes your message delivered 21x to get thru; be clear & concise

leadership in a word -- INFLUENCE

Mihaly Czikzsenthmihalyi, Flow – success is not a target, like happiness; “it must ensue…as the
unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a course of action…”

“You have to ‘be’ before you can ‘do’ and ‘do’ before you can ‘have.’” -- Zig Ziglar

“See the field.” -- from “The Legend of Bagger Vance”

“The mental is to the physical as 4 to 1.” -- McCarty

Hawkins 2008, p. 1
Chemistry of a Successful Program
·solid people – low ego, high output
·community & consistency
·be positive/maintain positive atmosphere – you get a lot more out of being positive
·you win on the field, lose off the field
“Stop trying to win – be a winner!”
·just get better
·no excuses
·“big team, little me”
·“You win with achievers, lose with potential.”
·“Once is an action, twice is a behavior…”

Equation for Success

Talent + …?

Components of “blue-collar” attitude

·leadership ·hard work ·toughness
·attention to details ·integrity ·discipline
·passion ·trust ·standard of excellence

For coaches:
1) Be positive
2) Be a great teacher – are you actually telling them something that can help them get better?
3) Coach to win – take risks; don’t coach to not lose
4) Enjoy yourself

book recommendation: Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes

“wica” – Lakota Sioux word for “the complete man”

lives a balanced life
goals – “A sailing ship which knows no port finds no winds favorable.”

“Start fast, finish strong!” – win the 1st game, win the last game, run thru

“Play hard, play smart, have fun!”

·Play hard – weight training; conditioning (with technique-oriented connections to football);
motivation
·Play smart – preparation with:
--active learning
--neuromuscular patterning – drills should replicate what player does in game
--performance anxiety curve

·turn it up and get them jacked up in practice

performance level

·relax/back off in pre-game

ideal

·Have fun!

too low Hawkins

too high 2008, p. 2
anxiety level
Coaches’ responsibility – mental, physical, & effort mistakes
mental mistakes: “my fault as coach;” “that’s on us”
physical mistakes: “my fault if I put a player in position to get beat”

3 most critical statistical areas:

·rush defense – top 10 teams nationally won 81%
·rush offense – top 10 teams nationally won 64%
·turnover margin – top 10 teams nationally won 70% (8 of 10 in bowl games)

Handling Adversity – handled one of three ways:

·tank it
·make it thru
·use as springboard – take it in and use it
get out of your comfort zone; don’t be afraid to fail or take risks
“Optimal experience…is thus something we make happen.” -- Flow

book recommendation: The Choice, Og Mandino

High standards:
“There are two kinds of class – 1st… & no…!”

“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse
yourself.” -- Henry Ward Beecher

refuse to be common, ordinary, normal

“Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” clip – Luke attempting to lift spaceship out of swamp

Yoda: “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”

Yoda: “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

Luke Skywalker: I don't believe it!

Master Yoda: That is why you fail.

You may be Yoda, the only positive force in a player’s life.

“Hoka hey!” – Lakota Sioux for “It’s a good day to die!”

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:

Self-actualization
Belonging – sense of power, competent, being needed
(this is reason CU plays lots of players, per Hawkins)
make sure every kid knows what he does well, that he belongs
Safety
Basic needs

book recommendation: Sacred Hoops, Phil Jackson

“Coach made the extraordinary seem normal.” -- Bill Walton in Wooden

Hawkins 2008, p. 3