Work Life Balance

The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one else is watching. –Anson Dorrance

I heard a story this week that Coach Dorrance said this about Mia Hamm when he saw her running early in the morning just a week after UNC women’s soccer won yet another national championship.  Mia was clearly talented but it was her unyielding work ethic that made her the best of the best.

Like so many, Mia’s work ethic differentiated her versus her cohorts.  You choose the sport, the same equation always holds true.  Physical talents only get you so far – work ethic separates the good from the great.

When I hear the importance of work life balance, I think of Mia Hamm’s story.  My hunch was when Mia was out working early in the morning, she was not worried about spending more time with friends, getting caught up on some rest or seeing her family.  She was focused on becoming the greatest.

As athletes transition from the field to the boardroom, I hope you don’t lose this goal orientation and focus.  Work is competition.  Work is hard.  And just like athletics, your work can be incredibly rewarding.

I do believe there is a time and place for work / life balance.  But just remember, there is a Mia Hamm in your workplace and that phrase is not in her vocabulary.

Rock star week…

This was a rock-star week.  I spent the weekend with my cousin, Kelli – Kell is a former collegiate student-athlete that now serves in a non-for-profit as the program director for volunteers.  You need to spend about 2 minutes with Kelli and you quickly realize the true gift is in giving not receiving.  “Do good and Do good” is a favorite saying of mine and she embodies it.  She reminds me very much of my Aunt who truly sets the bar in being selfless and service for others (we both know she is our benchmark for all things in our life).  Kell reminds me that student-athletes continue to set the bar high and do amazing things for others in selfless acts.  I am her OLD cousin but she continues to teach me.  Sometimes it is better than to be lucky than good and I am lucky to have such an amazing cousin as Kell.

My Midwest swing had me pass through Madison at UW for their student-athlete awards night – the Buckingham’s – http://www.uwbadgers.com/acad-services/buckinghams-awards.html.  Bridget Woodruff, Doug Tiedt, Jason Holtman and the entire UW (https://twitter.com/BadgerAcademics) team did an amazing job putting on a night to remember.  Who knew Badgers played guitar, danced ballet and sang opera?  “Find your greatness” was a theme – I thought about this quite a bit and I realize greatness is a relative term.  UW sets the bar mightily high.  Your excellence in the classroom, on the field, in community and now in Madson’s State Street Theatre is crystal clear.  Thanks for having me.

Finally, I am just leaving the N4A regional in Minneapolis.  Granted, shock value is (pretty) high for this dude from Carolina when he sees that much snow in late April but what an amazing time.  Lynn Holleran and her team from the U had it wired (http://gopheracademics.com/?SPSID=39781&SPID=3310&DB_OEM_ID=8400).  The campus is beautiful.  The facilities were outstanding.  And the people topped it off.  Great sessions and even better getting a chance to see and meet so many.  PS – if you have not been to a “Sota-Social”, just know you are missing out.  Thanks for having me.

Which takes me full circle – the N4A community (https://twitter.com/nfoura) reminds me (and vice versa) of my cousin Kelli.  Selfless and in it for the right reasons.  Your accomplishments are amazing and need to be recognized.  What’s more, your devotion and commitment are second to none and should be known as exemplary.  You are in it for the kids.  Tough to argue that logic.  You are genuine advocate of the student-athlete and should be VERY proud…Very inspiring – so again, thank you for having me.

Keep thinking student-athlete….and keep doing good.  And you will do good.

What I Wish I Knew

She’s my cousin so I am biased by I think Bridget gives great perspective for only being on campus a few months….

http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/lacrosse/post/_/id/3142/what-i-wish-i-knew-bridget-bianco

Great piece from Lehigh President Alice Gast

Here, writing in defense of the gridiron, is Alice P. Gast, president of Lehigh University. She tells how even college presidents can learn something in the huddle.

With intercollegiate sports in the spotlight and the negative public opinion filling the airwaves, I want to share my appreciation for student athletes, coaches and the lessons I continue to learn from them.

Last year, I began watching Lehigh University football games from the sidelines with the players and coaches. I wanted a closer look and a better understanding of the game. It has been wonderful to get to know the players, their majors and their perspectives. Down on the field, you get a different view of the human side of the game.

Before I watched my first game from the sidelines, Joe Sterrett, the Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics, recommended that I learn more about what the student athletes experience. He asked me to come to a practice and stay for a strategy session. The team even invited me to breakfast on game day.

I gained a tremendous amount from these experiences, and I think other campus leaders could benefit from the regimen. Many of us have, after all, been leading our own campus teams of faculty and staff through strategic planning and execution. I have been an advocate for repetition of message, a fan of metrics, somebody who says, “What gets measured gets done.” Experiencing football strategy sessions, practice, game preparation and execution is a great way to see strategic planning, implementation and readjustment unfold in real time.

Lesson one: Know the competition, and know your own strength.

It sounds like a chapter out of a business strategy book: Know the competition. Strategy sessions focus on films and on plays. Here are the opponent’s plays, here are the circumstances, and here are the strategies. Building confidence in what our team can do well against a given opponent is an important part of these strategy sessions. Understanding what we can achieve despite opposition is critical. A new vocabulary emerges – code names such as rick and rack or rock to indicate the field position and planned play. Student athletes are told to study this, replay that, notice this, and focus on that. There are hundreds of details to remember. A laser pointer draws attention. The coach calls on a player to recite a plan that would work in a specific situation. It makes the high-pressure scenes in The Paper Chase seem like a piece of cake.

Lesson two: Commit to the rigor of practicing the desired outcome. Be disciplined.

At Lehigh University, we pride ourselves in taking theoretical concepts and putting them into practice. Athletes take all that is learned in study and put it into practice. They replay a rigorous set of drills, practice plays and rehearsals. Offense and defense are deeply in concentration, competing against teammates who are channeling the opponent. The coach yells, “Third and eight,” and the Lehigh defense snaps into attention as the mock enemy sets up one of their plays. A horn sounds, and the coach yells, “Second and ten, red zone,” and they all know what that means. Coaches teach, players learn. It gets dark, the lights go on, and it’s practice, practice, practice.

Lesson three: Contemplate and concentrate on the task ahead.

The morning before a game is a very personal time. Players are “in the zone” contemplating the task ahead of them. They are focused, they concentrate, and yes, they eat large breakfasts. The quiet and meditative nature of the pregame breakfast was striking to me. It is awe inspiring to sit among such large and fit individuals who can yield so much power on the field, and find them so quietly and calmly thinking about their game.

Lesson four: Be prepared to adjust your strategy as reality unfolds, anticipate the changing landscape and keep your weight balanced and ready to shift.

The game looks different from the sidelines. I used to watch football, like most fans, by following the ball. Now I realize the full extent of the teamwork that the 11 players are putting into every play. Most of the action occurs away from the ball. Sometimes from the sideline, you can’t even see the ball. What you do see is an incredible example of execution of a strategy and real-time adjustment to the situation as it unfolds. At a recent game, I saw a look of recognition cross the face of one of our lead linebackers when the opponent set a man in motion; it was a look of understanding that caused him to shift and end up making a sack. He remembered what he had learned, knew where they were heading, and was ready to move in the right direction. Thinking on your feet never looked so good.

Lesson five: Keep a long-term view while concentrating on near-term execution.

During a coaches meeting, both near-term and long-term strategy is developed. Concentrating on “one play at a time, ­one game at a time” is an important aspect of effective team execution. For players, focus on the task at hand is essential. Coaches, however, must look ahead at the schedule, the team’s trajectory, and internal progress relative to the future competitors, as they assess the improvement of different players. Measuring performance against expectations and assessments, and initiating the education and training plan that will be applied later in a season are the coaches’ responsibility. Balancing short-term requirements with the demands of a long season is a test of a coach’s leadership.

Watching our coaches teach and our players learn, I see how hard they work to achieve the desired outcome. I see this in all of our athletics teams. We have also taken our trustees to a basketball practice, where they appreciated the coach’s role as educator, and the work that students and coaches must do to prepare.

From leadership lessons to life lessons, intercollegiate athletics can offer so much more of value than current headlines would have us believe.

Tomorrow’s Promise

I am often asked the inspiration for Game Theory - and to be honest, there are several.  That said, I had the chance to read a letter recently from my Dad and it really hit home.  I wanted to share it with you - I hope you enjoyed it and I know I did!


From my Father, Vince McCaffrey, Founder of Tomorrow's Promise...


Each participant who completes a training cycle with Tomorrow’s Promise Inc., leaves with new skills that will prove valuable to them.  We hold to our standards, realizing that the contractors who hire our graduates are expecting job-ready employees who understand what it means to be successful in the construction trades.  Whoever completes our rigorous training is truly the cream of the crop – those who were able to find the strength and determination to meet the challenge.  Over the duration of this training cycle we’ve not only watched these trainees construct this fine structure – but, we have also watched them build a bridge to their future.

Thirty years ago I sustained a serious injury on a construction site.  While it was not life-threatening, it was definitely career-changing.  After several operations, I was told that the severity of the injury to my left hand meant that I would no longer be able to withstand the rigorous work of a carpenter.

Fortunately, I had the preparation, experience and education to be hired as a carpentry instructor  Camden County Vocational School.  This was during a push for a new direction for Special Education – creating new space on the school campus to teach the trades to special needs students.  There was actually a child study team on-site to evaluate and counsel these students each day.  The idea was to create an environment with the students that would eventually allow them to be integrated into the regular school population.  These students included young people who were socially mal-adjusted, emotionally troubled, mentally challenged, deaf and so on.  Many had multiple barriers to learning.

I enjoyed working with these students.  They were labeled “special” by the school system, but these kids really were special.  I realized that some would never be able to successfully integrate into the regular classroom, but others would.  For some, the ability, drive and desire was obvious – and we started building that bridge together.  This bridge had to be very solid – because failure for these students as they entered the mainstream could be devastating for them.

I was viewed by the administration as sort of a golden boy – I could keep the student’s attention, motivate them to perform in class and shop productively – even those with multiple problems.

One day we received the horrible news that the carpenter instructor for the regular school had passed away.  The Superintendent of Schools came to me and asked me to take over this position permanently.  I went to my director and told him about the offer, which he already knew about.  I let him know that I didn’t want to leave my kids.  I was very satisfied with the job I was doing and believed we were making a positive impact on the students.  He let me know that, while this was admirable, it wasn’t the best career decision.  And, he was correct – you don’t tell the Superintendent of Schools “no thanks”!  I was able to keep my position – but things changed.  As the golden boy, I got students to perform, learn and develop by using techniques not typically associated with the classroom and shop.  These techniques, once praised by the Child Study Team and outside observers were now deemed “poor teaching methods” – even though the results were the same.  I was now told to keep the students quiet and in-line.  Learning was no longer the number one priority.  I understood that the students wouldn’t understand why things were different and that this change would disrupt their progress.  I was there for a purpose and if I couldn’t do what I knew was right, I had to leave.

Almost out of nowhere, it seemed, I received a call from my old college roommate telling me he just got hired as the new head football coach at Snow Jr.CollegeinEphraim,Utah.  Dave, my old roommate, and I used to always talk about one day coaching together and building a powerhouse football program.  I quickly became Assistant Football Coach at Snow.  About the same time, I realized that Snow was certainly on the downside of football.  Since I was from Philadelphia, it would be a natural for me to recruit from that area and bring back great athletes to Snow College.  Junior college football out West is huge – they are feeder schools for major college football programs.  This was especially true in the 70’s.  In other words, Junior College football programs are the bridge for up-and-coming football players with promise to go to the next level.  It seems like there is a pattern for this bridge idea!

When I sat down to think about my duties as a recruiter, a lot happened to me.  I realized I was coming back to the Philadelphia area to recruit young high school student athletes to attend a college over 2500 miles from their homes – where they’d be the only African-American students not only on campus, but in the local community, too.

Ephraim,Utah is a small town – at that time it had about 900 permanent residents.  One of the local merchants’ advertisement stated, “Come to Ron Green’s where the phone booth is on Main Street”.  The closest traffic light was 55 miles away.  The closest Catholic Church was 75 miles away.  The student body was at least close to 100% Mormon – from small communities where there were no African-American residents.  Most probably had never even met a black person.  To put it into perspective – thePhiladelphiaarea had more people than the entire states of Utah,Nevada and Idaho combined.

I started to think about whether what I was doing was really the right thing.  On one hand, we would be taking a young man off the city streets and giving him an opportunity for a better life through sports; on the other hand, the sacrifices and changes he would have to endure were extraordinary.

My mind was made up after meeting a few prospects and their families.  Unfortunately, for the three years and many homes I visited to recruit in the Philly area – I never met one father.

My very first recruit was from Bartram High School.  When I walked up the steps to his front door in late December or early January, I noticed the glass in the front window was missing.  I remember thinking how much heat loss this must create.  Once I was inside, I realized that there was no heat loss – because there was no heat.

In another neighborhood my car was rocked because I was white – it seemed there was a race riot going on.

I started to think and justify why they should leave their homes and come to Snow College.  After all, as difficult as it would be to come to Snow, the time spent would only be for one school year and one semester, and then they could fulfill their dreams.

Meeting the families of these young men – their mothers and, in some instances, their grandmothers who were their primary caregivers – convinced me I was doing the right thing.  I explained the extraordinary sacrifices they would make, what would be required of them academically.  I told them that the road ahead would certainly be difficult, at best – but the end results were limitless.  Almost to a person, each parent had the same feeling – as difficult as it would be for them to see their son or grandson leave home and move far away to a place that many of them knew nothing about – it had to be a better opportunity than what was currently in front of them.  Believe me when I say I was extremely graphic in my explanations.  The common sentiment was, “Please care for my child so he can really have an opportunity.”

Each of these recruits was, without question, the very best football players – not only on their teams, but in the entire leagues they played in.

When it was time for our recruits to come to football camp we knew we had one thing going for us.  The players would arrive before the student body and they would be together, all with a common goal:  enhance their academics, grow their bodies to become bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic while continuing to develop their football skills.  All of this was in the hope that these skills would be recognized by a college or university and would be offered a scholarship.  Not everyone was going to get a scholarship – but everyone had the opportunity.

Well, football camp arrived and so did our new Philadelphia recruits.  Now, remember my description of Ephraim – well, it was a perfect description.  Between practices the players could venture into town.  Unfortunately, unless they wanted to go to Ron Green’s or make a call from the phone booth, not much was happening.  The only other option was to drive or hike into the mountains – the town itself was already at an elevation of 5800 feet.

Some of our recruits looked around at the level of competition and immediately lost interest.  Others couldn’t believe we were actually practicing three times a day and decided this was not for them.  Some just plain got homesick.  It was not for everyone, but for those who could adapt and persevere, there were many great opportunities and the future was limitless.

Through the years and even now I hear from some of these young men I recruited.  I even hear from those who didn’t make it.  This is what they say to me:  “I didn’t quite understand what you were trying to accomplish, all I knew was that it was extremely difficult and I was not ready for what you were offering.  However, later in life I understood what you were doing – maybe not in time for me to take advantage of it for my athletic career, but certainly in time for me to use it to become a good family man and productive citizen.

Some of our recruits went on to colleges and universities and had very successful careers.  They went to schools such as the University of New Mexico,Mississippi State,Arizona State, the University of Nevada, Utah State,Colorado State,Weber State and even Brigham Young University, where two recruits from Philadelphia became a huge part of the team that won a National Championship.

I’ll be honest – there were some downsides, too.  A couple went on to colleges only to fall into trouble and end up in jail.

Coaching at the college level takes a toll on family life, especially in a place like Ephraim,Utah.  I made the difficult decision to leave coaching and return home to Philadelphia.  I learned you don’t always get what you want or think you deserve.  Here’s a good thing – the year I left Snow they became the number four rated Junior College football program.  We did turn the program around.

I got back home to Philadelphia and started job hunting.  Working on the college level opened new doors for me in the construction industry.  I was hired by a construction firm and eventually was promoted to the level of superintendent.  After doing this for many years, I gave up my position as superintendent and started working with inner city youth.

The three positions I held at different vocational educational programs for the next seven plus years really helped me grow in many ways.  I gained a valuable perspective about the youth I was teaching.  I also came to realize that this is where the construction industry is going to find its future workforce.  I could see the value in these young people – a toughness and integrity.  I wanted to help direct this energy toward making them valued employees with promising careers.

With all of my experiences and all that I learned came something else – a sense of responsibility to do something for our youth.  That something was to create opportunities in the construction industry for anyone who truly has a desire to not just have a job – but to build a career where they can live the life they truly deserve.

I’ve been blessed to watch young students with special needs overcome great odds and succeed.  I’ve seen young athletes make extraordinary sacrifices to realize their dreams.  I love being a part of the lives of determined youth you continue to grow and develop into truly special, exceptional people.  I get to see them become community leaders, valued and productive employees – doing what they enjoy, feeling good about what they’ve accomplished and having the financial status to provide a wonderful life for their families – and, to introduce their family and friends into this wonderful world of construction.

Tomorrow’s Promise is that bridge.  It is a bridge so structurally sound that it can endure extreme hardship and still stand steady to provide the door to a lifetime of limitless opportunities.

Does it bother me that every trainee does not complete our training cycles?  Absolutely.  But, to lower our standards in order to get a greater number of graduates is not an option.  When I look at the hard work and sacrifices of those I have taught, coached, instructed and mentored – and see the positive results of those efforts, I know without any doubt that Tomorrow’s Promise is absolutely career changing .  .  . LIFE changing.

I’m not able to brag today about all of our trainees.  But I can certainly brag about each and everyone that makes it.  These trainees are truly – crossing the bridge – a bridge they’ve helped to build.  They should be proud, and feel good about themselves because each of them is special.  So continue with your journey with the same desire, drive and passion to succeed that you’ve shown these past weeks – because the opportunities truly are limitless.

 

 

Good Bear Bryant Story…

 

IT DON’T COST NUTHIN’ TO BE NICE

At a Touchdown Club meeting many years ago, Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant told the following story: I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player, and I was having trouble finding the place. Getting hungry, I spied an old cinderblock building with a small sign out front that simply said “Restaurant.” I pull up, go in, and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I’m the only white fella in the place. But the food smelled good, so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit. A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, “What do you need?” I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today? He says, “You probably won’t like it here. Today we’re having chitlins, collard greens and black-eyed peas with cornbread. I’ll bet you don’t even know what chitlins are, do you?”(small intestines of hogs prepared as food in the deep South) I looked him square in the eye and said, “I’m from Arkansas , and I’ve probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I’m in the right place.” They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, “You ain’t from around here then?” I explain I’m the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I’m here to find whatever that boy’s name was, and he says, “Yeah I’ve heard of him, he’s supposed to be pretty good.” And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach. As I’m paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one, and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay. The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I’d been there. I was so new that I didn’t have any yet. It really wasn’t that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I’d get him one. I met the kid I was looking for later that afternoon and I don’t remember his name, but do remember I didn’t think much of him when I met him. I had wasted a day, or so I thought. When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn’t forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me.  The next day we found a picture and I wrote on it, “Thanks for the best lunch I’ve ever had.” Now let’s go a whole buncha years down the road. Now we have black players at Alabama and I’m back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed.  Y’all remember, (and I forget the name, but it’s not important to the story), well anyway, he’s got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he’s got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on to see some others while I’m down there. Two days later, I’m in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it’s this kid who just turned me down, and he says, “Coach, do you still want me at Alabama ?” And I said, “Yes I sure do.” And he says OK, he’ll come. And I say, “Well son, what changed your mind?” And he said, “When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn’t going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn’t playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y’all met.” Well, I didn’t know his granddad from Adam’s housecat so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, “You probably don’t remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he’s had hung in that place ever since. That picture’s his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him…” “My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and to Grandpa, that’s everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I’m going to.” I was floored. But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right. It don’t cost nuthin’ to be nice.. It don’t cost nuthin’ to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breaking your word to someone. When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he’s still running that place, but it looks a lot better now. And he didn’t have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that would make Dreamland proud.  I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures; and don’t think I didn’t leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football. I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they’re out on the road. If you remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn’t cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable. Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant

 

 

K-I-S-S

Just heard a great interview on a former player about Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots.  He made a great point – he said if you spend 5 minutes with Coach that you can tell he is very intellectual, as “bright as they come” kind of coach.  That said, prior to the game, he would break everyone’s assignments down to three key parts.  Do those 3 things well and you will win.  Simple, right?

Made me think of some great advice from a former boss – ask someone to do three things and all three things will get done.  Ask someone to do five things and none of them will get done.

Again, life imitates sports…Keep it simple, smarty….

Get in, get it done, get out

About a month back I had the chance to talk with one of the leading strength and conditioning coaches in the country – this guy is one of the best of the best.  He made a real interesting point – all of his training sessions are built around intense, game-like conditions.  Rarely does a workout last more than an hour.  If an athlete can accomplish it in 60 minutes, then don’t allow them to take 90 minutes to do it.  If I had to guess, I would imagine his opinion is in the majority for those in his field.

Makes me think a bit about corporate America today – it has been my experience, particularly in large organizations with many layers, that there tends to be a lot of “getting ready to get ready” – good quote from an old boss.

How many individuals look at their Outlook calendar and the day is covered with meetings and conference calls and by the end of the week you wonder what have you really accomplished.  You were no doubt very, very busy – but what did you accomplish?

How many of those calls and meetings could have been accomplished in a fraction of the time they took?  How many emails did you read that you were “CC”d on that really did not pertain to you at all, but you were obligated to read none the less?  You get where I am going….

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a Six-Sigma or Lean Organization expert, but my sense is that with a few minor tweaks here and there, you can really pick up productivity.  In the process, you may upset some of your friends that love to pontificate, but just consider that a friendly by-product!

Happy Thanksgiving to you….

JFK – the student athlete

We do not want our children to become a generation of spectators. Rather we want each of them to be a participant in the vigorous life.

John F. Kennedy

On the anniversary of his death, I want to take a moment to point out some of the athletic accomplishments of one our most famous presidents.

In fact, President Kennedy played 5 sports at the JV / Varsity levels at Harvard.  JV programs in the Ivy League are actually very respectable and require quite a bit of time and determination to participate in.  What’s maybe most impressive here is he did this all while suffering from Addison’s Disease.

Here is some more on President Kennedy here….

http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK+Library+and+Museum/Visit+the+Library+and+Museum/Museum+Exhibits/Sports+Exhibit.htm

Block and tackle

We have all heard the term – block and tackle.  Stick to the basics and deliver results.  Great phrase – yet not that easy when it gets down to it.

Staying disciplined and delivering against expectations consistently is arguably the most challenging thing to do in business.  Yet in these challenging economic times, it is what often sets apart the winners from the losers.

Don’t get me wrong, I love brainstorming ideas on business strategy and discussing “out of the box” business ideas – and I believe these very things are an integral part of the growth of any business.

That being said, I often think about Rick Pitino’s book “Success is a Choice.”  In the book Pitino talks about earning the right to succeed…Success comes to those who stay disciplined and focused.  In business terms, make sure you have delivered on your results before you allow your self to stray and day dream on how to make the “business better.”  When you do this, I believe two things will happen:

1. You will feel a sense of accomplishment because you delivered against expectations.
2. Your level of credibility will rise in the eyes of your peers as you have found the appropriate balance between taking care of the business at hand and planning for the business of the future.