Richard Ball, CMAA

Bill Parcells said, "Losers assemble in little groups and complain about the coaches and the players in other little groups." Complaining only reinforces the negative. • It's unproductive. • It's distracting. • It's stressful. How to combat complaining:

Pete Carroll said, "If you want to be great, do it. There's nothing holding you back. It's all in your control." Excellence is the mindset, not the destination. • It means compete. • It means be disciplined. • It means choose resilience. Greatness is excellence in action.

Tony Dungy said, "You will never lose emphasizing character over results. Be successful not just in what you do, but in who you are." Your character is what you do. • It's your decisions. • It's your actions. • It's your integrity. Good character isn't about your words or your image to the world, it's about your actions. It's about choosing to be a person of principle. It means living your life with integrity, honesty, responsibility, and self-discipline. Tony Dungy on How to Build Character: 1. It's How You Do Things - Be a person of integrity. Be honest and upfront with people. Treat people the right way and choose to do things the right way. When you have integrity in how you do things, people know that you care about them and that they can trust you. 2. Don't Let Anyone Else Define You - Live by your core values and what you believe. This builds self-awareness and independence. It empowers you to develop a strong sense of self and stick with what you believe in. When you learn to trust yourself, you make decisions that align with your true self and navigate life with purpose. 3. Be A Problem Solver - There will always be challenges and problems, but you can't sit and feel sorry for yourself. Think about how you can make things better. Ask the question "How can I make the situation better?" By asking this question, you are focusing on what you can control and how you can take action. 4. Drive Forward, not Backward - Setbacks and detours are normal. If you didn’t fail, you wouldn’t build the character you need for success. As a character leader, you need to be able to drive the team and yourself forward even during tough times. Your ability to move forward will depend on how you learn from the past. Use it as a guide, but don't live there. 5. Have Courage and Be True to Yourself - Have the courage to stand by your convictions and values, even in the face of adversity or opposition. Be your authentic self. Make choices that align with your principles and ethics. This cultivates inner strength and moral fortitude. It builds courage and authenticity fostering self-respect and integrity. 6. Serve Others with Humility - Servant leadership means giving to others and giving to the team. You have to have a deep understanding of people and how you can help others. Have the humility to know that it isn't just about you, but it's important to give. The smallest acts of kindness can make the biggest differences. When you support and guide others with kindness, you become a shining light for others. "You should never be defined by what you do, by the things you have; you've got to define yourself by who you are and who you impact and how you impact people. And that's the thing I try to get across to my players." - Tony Dungy - - - Follow @coachajkings for more posts like this!