Author: bestdayeverconsulting

Second in my series about becoming a better coach, person and consultant while helping programs move forward and get closer to being their best. We start this blog with a quote from Tim Starr the head coach at Sheridan College in Sheridan, WY.

Partnering with Coach Frank and BDE Consulting was the best decision our program has made. From the first meeting it is clear Frank’s passion not only for the game, but a desire to increase the effectiveness of the coaches and players within our program. Coach Frank has sparked our players with a desire to hit their ceilings as individuals every day along with doing whatever the team needs in order for them to be successful. As a coach, Frank has been instrumental in keeping me focused on the big picture for the team. He has helped identify strengths and weaknesses of myself and of the team, discussed the matches and what tactical changes should be made, and assisted in setting clear objectives for the team both in season and out of season.

I have become a more effective leader and as result the team has reached new heights that it has never seen. We are grateful to have him in our family. We have seen firsthand that working with Coach Frank will have two BDEs. The first is having him join our team, and the second is the new heights your coaching staff and team will certainly reach with his guidance.

The biggest reinforcements I got from partnering with Tim Starr and the soccer program at Sheridan College were 1)willingness to learn 2)setting goals and setting targets (knowing the difference) 3) belief in yourself, the athletes and what you can do together.

Tim Starr was willing to seek out other resources to improve his coaching, his players and his program. This is a step that shows confidence. A coach with less self trust would be unwilling to seek out the knowledge and experience of others. All of us can be better and can improve by learning from others. The most successful leaders are continually seeking to take the next stride towards being their best version. Tim’s willingness to partner with BDE has helped his program but also made me aware of always looking to build my own understanding of ways to improve.

Probably the biggest area that Tim and I partnered on was setting up Goals and Targets. Goals for us are those areas that we are always striving for and are not dependent on results similar to an individual’s principals or an organization’s mission. An example would be trying to be a better soccer player and person every day. Those are areas we can work on with our work rate, our attitude, and our focus to become better. Our targets are based more on what we want to achieve in this particular season, month, week or day. These depend much more on results and these have priorities in that the season would be more important than what was going on that day. This was one of the most important areas that Tim and BDE partnered on, an idea that few leaders realize. We were willing to learn from today, this week, and this month in order to be better ready for this seasonal Target. Not many coaches and leaders can see beyond what is happening today if it means a negative step today. An example would be playing athletes today for their growth or health reasons even if it means losing today but that growth will help you win the conference, the region or the national championship if that is your Target. Very difficult for most leaders to do! As thinking partners Tim and I were able to put our long range Targets first while always working on our Goals for ourselves, players and program.

The last area that was a major take away from the 2018 season with the partnership of BDE and Sheridan College men’s soccer was Belief! Believing in your own ability and that of your team is the first attribute you have to have in order to reach any of your targets. Tim believed in what our partnership could accomplish and how far the program could grow. It all starts with authentic belief which worked and has carried forward to belief for the future and continuing toward our Goals and Targets.

When Best Day Ever was started I had no idea the added benefits I would get from working with other programs. The 3 main programs I worked with last season have helped me to become a better coach, better consultant and a better person. In my next 3 blogs I will look at how this has happened and the knowledge gained from each experience and what their coaches believe they gained from being a BDE client. The most desirable gain was the marvelous relationships established with the Coaches, Staff and Athletes at CSUMB, UCA and Sheridan College an outcome that was a complete and pleasant surprise. Part one is what the experiences with the Otters of Monterey brought to improving the consultant at BDE. Head Coach Shane Carew said of his BDE experience “We all want to win on the field. That’s only part of it though. We want to develop people that are winners for life in anything that they do. Coaching courses don’t teach you this stuff. We can develop technically, tactically and learn the latest fitness trends quite easily. I’m a massive believer in the mental side of things and that programs/coaches need to be humble and seek guidance, learn more in this area of their game. Best Day Ever Consulting brings that element to our program at Cal State Monterey Bay. Our guys bear hug Frank when they see him. That’s the human element BDE brings. That for me paints a thousand words in the effect BDE can add to a program.”

It has been enjoyable and rewarding working with Shane and his staff and the student athletes at CSUMB. These are the teachings that have made me a better coach and consultant that have been emphasized in my experiences in working with the Otters’ Program. Some of these ideas can help you with your program.

Be ready to show your passion. This is one of the first areas athletes must see from you if you are asking a commitment from them! The Otters were all in when they knew I believed in them and cared about their success as people and athletes. Finding out more about staff and players every time I visit increases my ability to understand how to reach and help the program.

The Art of the sport is important! The guys help me to look at ways to use how it looks and not just if it works. So I need to make sure I use science to help us look good getting the result we want. An example would be that being more fit would allow us to perform our technical skills at a higher level throughout the match. Doing tasks on the field can be artistic and what the team needs to reach their targets at the same time. As a coach and consultant I now find ways to consider together the science and art of this beautiful game to get my ideas across.

Find at least 3 ways to reach the guys on the key intentions of the program. Each player may have different learning styles, so having diverse ways of presenting our objectives helps us all to realize how we can provide what the team needs. Knowing the players and communicating with the players has taught me to present our key targets in numerous ways so that we end up with everyone with the same level of understanding. The Otters have helped me to find different ways to look at the same purpose.I look forward to the next time I return to the Float to be a part of 2019 and the Year of the Otter with Shane, the staff and The Guyz!

Shelter Dogs Teaching Lessons To Live By

Shelter Dogs Teaching Lessons To Live By

— Read on bestdayeverconsulting.com/2018/12/23/shelter-dogs-teaching-lessons-to-live-by/

For the past 14 months I have been volunteering at Foothills Animal Shelter (FAS) in Golden, CO. It is a good facility for animals of all kinds with wonderful people working and volunteering there. Since I have been spending hundreds of hours as a volunteer, I have learned a great deal from the fantastic Vets and Vet Techs there, but the greatest inspiration has come from the Shelter Dogs. These pups of all ages and stages have come into FAS as strays, surrenders, found dogs or having been injured or abused but even though they are not where the dogs would want to be (FAS treats them very well). Their response to their situation is what makes these dogs teachers of life lessons we could all benefit from and these lessons follow.1)Be Ready For A Great Day- Each Day as you walk in to see the dogs they are telling you and their body language is saying “Hey! Hey! Let’s have a great day”. The pups are ready to make the most of the day that is ahead, they are not worried about what happened yesterday or what’s going to happen tomorrow only let’s have the best today that we can. Imagine how much better our days would be if we started each day in the same positive way.

2)Be 100% Into Whatever You’re Doing- when these pups go for a walk they are totally into their walk! If they are eating or barking or playing with dogs or people, that is what they focus on to enjoy it to the fullest. How much better would our lives be if when we were doing activities we could focus on getting the most out of This activity.

3)Be Ready To Make New Friends- These dogs in these new and different environments are ready to open up their hearts to meet and greet new dogs and people. They are ready to enjoy the opportunity to have friends in their lives. We could all make our lives better if we were just ready, like these pups, to take new friends into our journey.

4)Bounce Back From Bad Stuff- These pooches are amazing at coming back from challenges, whether it is being abandoned, abused or being injured by a car or train. They don’t let the bad stuff that’s happened or the pain they’ve felt keep them from finding love and happiness even while they are still recovering. These pups move forward and find ways to Bounce Back. If we could all come back from our own bad stuff like the dogs do we could all enjoy more of our lives and get back to living and loving more.

5)Find Joy- The dogs at the Foothills Animal Shelter wag their tails, have a twinkle in their eyes and jump for joy in finding the simplest pleasures in their day. This is a great lesson from the pups because they look for joy all the time. I hope all of us over the holiday and into the new year look to Find Joy in the simple wonders that are all around us. If you’re struggling to see what Joy looks like, visit FAS!

My hope is the dogs can help you with some life lessons as I know they will continue to inspire me.

Photos are 1) Buster 2) Frank and Frank 3) Pebbles

Best Day Ever Consulting had 3 teams that were part of the BDE premier program. These Programs were; Sheridan College, California State University @Monterey Bay and University of Central Arkansas. It is a varied group of schools from very different locations and diverse higher education institutions but the areas that the soccer programs have in common were Coaches and players that wanted to take steps toward becoming a more successful program.

The Coaches of these programs Tim Starr at Sheridan, Shane Carew at CSUMB and Ross Duncan at UCA were willing to partner with BDE. These thinking partners were able to take their programs forward to being better than they had been in previous seasons and in some cases Ever. These coaches were willing to go outside the box and do something athletic coaches do not do but successful leaders in other fields often do. They were willing to bring in a consultant to work alongside of them to provide ideas, discussion and a thinking partner. You have to be pretty confident to bring an outsider into Your Program. The Assistants I got to work with from each of these programs were all wonderful to work with and were great at sharing ideas and helped me to improve as a consultant and coach.

The student-athletes of each of these programs were a joy to work with. In each program together we faced different challenges and therefore varied solutions. Each time the coaching staff and BDE asked for the soccer athletes to step up to a new challenge they answered the challenge. The steps that the athletes took this season will continue to effect change for the future as many of the improvements involved the culture and targets of the programs moving forward.

The Administrators at these schools were willing to allow their coaches to bring in another set of eyes to help the coaches and athletes in their programs, also very forward thinking.

So I am thankful for the opportunity that BDE had in working with these Coaches and Athletes. The work was engaging and made me improve as a consultant, coach and person while helping these programs to some Best Days and even some Best Seasons.

The results on the field, at training and in the locker room were incredible and even better than others may have thought possible. But the greatest bonus was the friendships and relationships gained with these coaches and athletes. Thanks to the Generals, Otters and Purple Bears for some Best Days!Thankful for all the players and coaches whom I have gotten to work with to get me where I am today! Thank You!

If you are a leader of a fall athletic program and your season is over now, you are probably looking for a way to improve your program. This idea works- A I R. I used this myself and also with the programs that I consulted with this season. Each of the programs had Best Day Ever level seasons. Right Now is the perfect time to begin using it!

A- Acknowledge –sit down with everyone involved in your program, from a staff point of view, that you can get together. Let them know a day or 2 ahead that you are going to do this exercise and that the meeting is going to take place in an open area that is not anyone’s in particulars office. Moderator (obviously BDE consultants are best for this but if not available do your best)asks what did we (team)do well? What were positives of this season? So many times coaches can rattle off 15 areas that were weak or not positives. That is why it is best to start with the good stuff. Many times this part helps you realize there is more right than you thought and allows everyone to speak up about good stuff. One idea often leads to another and everyone feels like they are contributing. For a change, even with it not being the best season, it is important to Acknowledge the good stuff even before moving on to the areas needing improvement. What do we need to do better? This is very important to get all of these put forward to the group, as one of the advantages of having a less than successful season is that these are the times when people are most likely to change and are open to a new and different path. “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of Insanity”. The Acknowledgment part of this requires honesty, open communication and frankness (not just the BDE guy). This portion of AIR must explore every part of the program that has gotten you to this stage this season.

These steps can be done in one meeting which is probably good when using AIR for a match, game or training but for a season or program review it is best to separate the sessions so there is some time for reflection between each part of AIR.

I or E- Interrupt or Encourage- After you have Acknowledged the good and bad, you must figure out how to Interrupt areas that need changing and Encourage those areas that are important to keep as part of the program. The group has to think of all the ways to change and remove the habits and culture that is considered counter productive to the program’s success. Part of this examination to interrupt or encourage is to find the root or basis to the good and bad the group has acknowledged. How can you change the areas that need changing? How do you promote those positives you want to continue to be in the program?

R-Reframe- Together the staff now has to come up with a plan going forward to implement the how to Interrupt and Encourage. This is where you figure out the changes you are going to make in your staff, your players, your culture and everything you do with your program. Full ownership with no excuses to move the program in a positive direction. At BDE we have helped programs to do this, it can be done.

Make your program better! GET SOME AIR! Still be playing this time next year!

Having been involved in pre seasons as a coach for forty years, this year I got to be involved with 3 different programs. At each program I got to partner with good coaches striving to be better and willing players wanting to help their team reach its ceiling. Now we have reached that time of year where adjustments are needed in order to achieve the highest possible level of success.

So I am borrowing an idea from Glen Fisher at Peripheral Vision in which he uses the term AIR to help athletes recover from mistakes or stress or challenges. AIR meaning A to acknowledge, I to interrupt and R to reframe to lead an individual to better performance. For more info on this go to http://www.peripheralvision.net .

At BDE we are suggesting using this idea for your team as we head into the last half or third of the season as you should have a good idea of your current performance level and where you want the team to be. So do this for your team and it will help you to see the path to success for the rest of the season. If nothing else, it will help you to see how to be better to finish this season.

A – acknowledge the status of the level of the team right now. Answer these questions; What is working well? What is not working? What are the team’s strengths? Weaknesses? This is the evaluation of what has occurred with the team up until this point of the season. This is difficult to be on target with because it requires a keen eye to be honest about where the team is regardless of results but this is essential to becoming better.

I- interrupt those areas that need to be improved. So after the evaluation the need is to look at those areas to change the status quo. Moving along on the same path and expecting change that has not yet occurred, is accepting failure as an option that is ok for your program. So the question to be answered here is; what to change?

R- reframe as to how the team is going to change. How the team with the changes is going to move on to be a better team and make this a better program. The reframe changes the team for the better by making those changes deemed necessary by the evaluation and choices about what to change to improve those areas that can make the team better for what is left of this season. These changes can make the team and program better for the future seasons as well. The changes the reframe asks for will cause players and coaches to continue to better their performances.

Thanks to Fish for the idea and give it a try with your team. I know I will and hope we can with the Purple Bears, Otters and Generals.