A DAY IN THE LIFE: COACH BEILEIN & THE WOLVERINES

Somebody sent me this article outlining a day in the life of John Beilein at Michigan. There is so much to do in a day but only so many hours – and those hours seem to fly by so it is not surprising to see that his days are full.

In reading the article it brought to mind a recent article in the Globe and Mail that outlined the evils of multi-tasking that argues multitasking doesn't save time. In fact the only benefit of it might be that it provides a sense of accomplishment. For coaches and teachers the lesson is clear and that is to focus on the task at hand. This is often difficult with the phone ringing and your email buzzing but I have found that if I create times of the day devoted to video, phone calls and emails that I am much more efficient, not to mention much more relaxed, in getting the necessary tasks done. This is sometimes easier said than done I admit. One of the biggest challenges is disciplining yourself to focus only on one task. This requires priority setting and an understanding that "the other things" will get done in time. I can say with conviction however that this process helps me get everything done. My goal is always that when I return home at night after practices or games that my work day is done and I can now focus on family and relaxation.

An inspiration for me was the book the 4-Hour Work Week. The concept of a four hour work week is highly implausible in my mind but some of the concepts do hit home. The first is that time is valuable. After reading this book I’ve started to value my time more. If I am reading something and it is not relevant or interesting than I will stop reading it. Simple really – don’t waste time on things that aren’t important to you. Time away from activities that bring me pleasure and from loved ones needs to be justified. I’m no longer willing to spend all of my time on work. There needs to be more to life. There are simply some tasks that are either really time consuming or we just don’t want to engage in. I learned from this book also that outsourcing can be done at almost every level. The benefit to all of this outsourcing is that you have more time to focus on your business or to do whatever it is that you enjoy doing. I have tried to find more ways to outsource or eliminate some tasks that take me away from what I value and enjoy.

Click here for the full article A DAY IN THE LIFE: COACH BEILEIN

Thoughts from the book "Destination Basketball"

In their recent book, Destination Basketball, authors Andrew Hemminger and Dave Bensch provide coaching insight from 29 successful NCAA coaches. Essentially, the two college students from Ohio traveled thousands of miles to personally sit down and interview some of the best male coaches that have ever walked the sidelines. By way of example, a few interesting answers follow:

• when John Beilein of Michigan was asked what he tries to improve as a coach, he responded with "communication." He then went on to say that it's not WHAT a coach knows but rather what a coach can get his players to know. As a result, he looks to hire assistants that are excellent communicators.
• Bruce Weber of Illinois mentioned, when developing and executing his program philosophy, an underlying rule is that "no job is beneath you." This is very similar to what Coach Don Meyer at NSU has always promoted - "everybody picks up garbage."
• when Bo Ryan of Wisconsin was asked what he hopes his players will take away after being in their program, he commented that he hopes "they will be good neighbors" after they leave him. First, they will need to look after the needs of their own families and then be considerate citizens, help in the community, give back, and be good neighbors. Again, this is the "servant attitude" that many coaches promote - unselfishness, thinking of others.
• Tom Izzo of Michigan State wants to be remembered as a coach that told his players what they needed to hear, NOT what they wanted to hear. He firmly believes that physical and mental toughness are keys to every type of success in life. He feels that part of his role is to combine his players' individual goals (recognizes that all people are partially selfish) with Spartan team goals. Asking for individual goals shows that he cares about his players - they then care about what Coach Izzo wants for the team.

Overall, a good read - quick and easy too. Consider it when looking for a gift for a coach, or even treat yourself to a well-deserved book. For those of you that prefer to order online, good options are amazon.com and chaptersindigo.ca.