The Freedom of Forgiveness

KBJ Academy rolls out new Podcast every Monday Night for listeners called "Coffee with KBJ."  Kevin and Brenita Jackson offer an uplifting and honest dialogue for 15 minutes that will keep you engaged while also offering self reflection.  We merge our background with sports to our experience in business to give practical concepts on winning in your relationships, on your jobs and your life!

Subscribe to our channel on spreaker.com and our YouTube Channel to listen to our motivational podcast for free.  All shows are live at the following link Monday nights at 7:30 PM Central Standard Time:

Listen to "KBJ Academy's show" on Spreaker.

You can also like us on Facebook: KBJAcademy for the live viewing of each podcast.

Team Player

Are you a Team Player?  Coaches all over the world have given speeches about it or even just asked the question.  When this question is asked or this speech is heard, some players may just very well not understand what being a team player really is let alone how to go about being one. This can be the same way for other coaches on a staff.  They may simply be asking themselves, what is a team player or how to become a team player?

Let's look at what a Team Player is.  A Team Player is a person who plays or works well as a member of a team or group.  With this being said, you always have to ask yourself, "How do I work with others in a team or group environment?"   When you answer this question and your answer is that you are a team player, then that is awesome and I encourage you to keep building on that and never let up.  If your answer is that you are not or that you are not sure, then this is the time for reflection.  The world of sports and all it's concepts is one of the greatest things in my opinion that has been discovered.  Everyone that has ever played on a team, coached, or been apart of a team environment knows that to be successful as a team, everyone that is involved has to be team players.  If you struggle with this, ask yourself, "Do you give your all with what you are empowered to do as part of the team or coaching staff?  Do others around me enjoy working with me in the act of play or in the office?  Do I value my role as part of the team or staff?  Do I show everyone I interact with the respect they deserve?  Do I value other people's opinion. Do I communicate affectively?  I'm I part of the issues or part of the solutions?" 

All of these questions are very valid when doing self reflection on if you are a team player or not.  I want to give you a few key tips that can help you get better as a team player and turn your answer to the question earlier from "I'm not to I am." 

1. Always show everyone the respect that you would like people to show you.
2. Get some understanding when communication between you and some is not clear.
3. Take ownership in what you were empowered to do within your team.
4. Value your position and other people's position as well.
5. Never be part of the problem, but always strive to be part of the solution.

Working in a team environment is not always easy but you can always strive to make things easier then what they are.  I stand by the fact that on teams or staffs in sport that are full of team players, look at their success record.  It never fails that teams that suffer from lack of team players doesn't have as much success or longevity then teams that do have Team Players.

BE BLESSED and GO KBJ!
 
















 

Success Has No Age Limit

Success is attainable to you!  Don't let anybody tell you any different.  You are who God says you are and you are who you believe you are.  So listen to the things people tell you and if they do not align with who you are and who God says you are - don't receive it.  Surround yourself with people who see you for what God created you to be and know that you are better off without the others.

There is no rule that says you must wait until to a certain age to be successful.  You can be successful now - it is your mentality about it.  If you think you have to wait, then you will.  If you are open to working toward your goals with no hesitation or reservation -- then expect to succeed soon!

At the same time, you are never to old to dream, strive for your goals and succeed.  You did not miss your opportunity!  As sure as you have breathe in your lungs, then pursue your goals with determination to see them come to pass.  If you have life - you have purpose!

In our latest podcast, we discussed Success and how it all applies to all ages.  You can listen to the 15 minute motivational podcast at the following link:  https://www.spreaker.com/user/kbjacademy/success-has-no-age-limit
or on YouTube:

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UNITY

UNITY is one of the necessities that every person should seek in all areas of life.  It means together or joined as a whole.  Combined.  Oneness of mind.  On one accord.  In harmony!   Here is my take on unity and how it relates to different areas of life:

1. Unity in relationships requires each person to put down selfishness and embrace their partner's needs.  Each person should look for ways to uplift and elevate their loved one.  If you have been in a relationship with someone for at least a year and you look back to evaluate their input in your life, did they help you through a hardship or were they no where to be found when you needed them most? I also believe that you cannot support someone else in a time of need unless you first listen.  You cannot be so quick to talk, or offer your suggestion to fix it.  Most people in pain just want to be heard and know that someone has their back.  The person who is committed through the highs and lows of life is someone who is showing unity. Anybody who is here today am doing gone tomorrow-doesn't deserve your energy so consider who you unite yourself with.
2. Unity in teams requires each person to set aside their individual ambitions to pursue the common goals of the team.  What are the goals that the team wants to accomplish?  Without considering any individual accolades, can you truly commit yourself to giving your best effort in pursuit of reaching the goals of the team?  If not, then unity is not going to happen and winning could also be effected.  
3. Unity on jobs for employees is so crucial!  Probably one of the least discussed words in any workplace is unity but without it, your company will crumble!  I have worked for many companies that were in good and bad financial situations and the great equalizer in each company was unity being present or absent.  Unity will cause your employees to stay late to make sure deadlines are met.  Why?  Because they are not just doing it for the business to succeed alone, but because they are united with their co-workers and they understand that if this business goes under - it will impact the lives of everyone here and everyone we are connected to! 

Unity in relationships, on teams or on jobs is one in the same.  Let's view it from the large view perspective and take a step back out of the right now through a few mock scenarios that a united mindset would view on success:

"If I give my best to this team and we win a championship, although I don't desire to play college sports - I know Sean does.  Getting to that championship tournament will put him in front of the best college recruiters in the state and give him the opportunity he needs to be the first in his family to go to college.  I want to see him succeed and be great."

"If I leave early today instead of finishing my project on time, I will cause Sasha to run behind on her deadline as well.  I know she is planning a wedding so I don't want to add any additional stress on her during this season.  Let me go ahead and get this done today so we can move forward on time."

"This morning has been crazy, I got yelled at by my boss and two clients called to complain about our services.  I feel like quitting - but I cannot do that.  We have so many other clients that depend on us and I have 20 other employees that depend on me being here to do my job.  If I leave, someone else will have to pick up my work and complete it which could put everyone behind.  It could also cause them to miss out on family time because they are here at work after hours fixing a problem I caused."

"After 10 years of marriage and two children, I just feel drained.  I want to start over and start fresh with someone who gets me.  If I do that, I will cause pain to my wife, my children and all of my in-laws because now someone else will have to be there to support my family because I wasn't there for them.  I am not going to bring hurt to my family, instead I am going to bring them healing."

These are just some mock scenarios that you could be wrestling with and the bottom line is - when unity is in place, we think about our actions and how they can impact the life of someone else.  So at your next meeting, I implore you to find ways to unite your team, staff or family.  Ask them for suggestions on what would make them give more commitment and be willing to do some of the answers.  Maybe not all of them but you would be showing unity by embracing their suggestions as well.  Hope you enjoyed this read and please tell somebody you know about KBJ Academy!

#BeBlessed

Commitment

What is the lack of commitment in our society and within sports?  Some say its generational, but we cannot settle for the cause being a trend and be done with it.  After doing some research we found that 53% of Americans are not happy on their job.  Another study said that 78% of college freshman transfer.  There must be a connection from people not being happy and lack of commitment.

Leaders: If you are lacking commitment from your team or employees, then here are some suggestions to help them let their guard down to get better commitment.  

1. Give your expectations early and often - set the environment!
2. Treat your players fair and don't show favoritism.
3. Give Feedback and give them time to adjust and confidence to work on their weaknesses.
4. Verbalize and show your commitment to your players/employees.

It's not going to be a quick fix so a trip to go bowling is not the fix to building trust to get commitment.  People need to know you care about them - outside of what they do for you.  You have to show compassion outside of just when they are doing everything right.  That includes when they make mistakes.

Players or Employees:  If you feel like your authority does not have commitment to you and is making you feel uneasy then here are some steps you can take:

1. Communicate directly with your supervisor/coach about your frustrations.  Do it with all discretion and with the utmost respect.
2. Show compassion to your supervisor and give them the benefit of the doubt that they may not even realize what they are doing.
3. DO NOT EVER LET IT CHANGE YOUR WORK ETHIC OR YOUR LEVEL OF COMMITMENT!  Understand that you cannot control how people treat you, but don't let it change you from being a good person who is dependable.  Keep working hard and know that you will not always get back what you give to others.  Don't let it change you! 

You can hear the Jackson's Podcast on commitment on spreaker.com or by following this link:  https://www.spreaker.com/user/kbjacademy   

We air motivational podcasts Mondays at 7:30 pm CST on spreaker or you can like us on Facebook: KBJ Academy   to see us recording live.

  

Are You Coachable

Being coachable can be applied in so many areas of our lives on a day to day bases. Everyone has been coached by someone in some way, shape, or form at some point in their life. Whether you are a player or a coach, with that thought in mind, "Are You Coachable?" Let's look at a word like coachability. Coachability means the willingness to be corrected and to act on that correction. When we are coachable, the application of the information that we are given is where coachability is in affect. Another way to determine if you are coachable or not is your willingness to learn. A lot of players and coaches struggle with the tall task of learning. Coaches get to the point sometimes where they feel as though they have arrived and their ideas are the greatest invention to their sport and players can have one successful game and they turn off the listening switch because they reached their peak. If you get to the point where you think you can't learn anything else, you just put yourself out of the running of being coachable.

As a player or coach, how can you become coachable?
1.) Always be willing to learn and grow into what you are learning.
2.) Develop the ability to apply the information that someone gives you correctly.
3.) Get around great examples of someone that is coachable so you can always identify it when you need reminders.
4.) Practice being a great listener.

A lot of people sometimes say that being coachable is something you have or you don't but I very well believe you can develop this skill if you will just put in the effort. Michael Jordan said "My best skill was that I was coachable. I had an aggressiveness to learn." If you are a player and you are struggling with your production in your sport or if you are a coach struggling to be the best coach you can be, I encourage you to ask yourself "Are You Coachable?"

#BE BELESSED

Feedback

I often hear coaches say they give their players constructive criticism.  Some have said that this generation of players are too "sensitive" to receive it.  I want to challenge all coaches and really any person in authority to try the concept of giving feedback instead.

Here is the difference. See constructive criticism - although in your eyes - you think you are really helping. As a coach and even a player I received constructive criticism and gave it. What I came to finally realize....At the end of the day - it's still criticism. It's like saying this will be a "friendly tornado." It very well could be friendly, but you better get in a closet because it's still deadly! A tornado is a tornado! So you can dress constructive criticism up however pretty you like, it is still criticism.

Coaches are not critics. Coaches are teachers of a specific sport. With that being said,we are not called to criticize, but instead to teach. So to sum this up - I encourage you wherever you are to give feedback.


When we break that word down - the first part says feed. Which means to give nourishment, vitamins, nutrients to someone. Ask yourself - am I pointing out the obvious "you missed 6 lay-ups last night" or am I giving them something nutritious to chew on? Instead you could say "Last night wasn't the best performance that I know you're capable of. Today I want you to practice your form, focus and finish of every lay up in practice. That is a priority for this team that you can address and help us get better today if your willing to?" - See I just said the same thing but which one motivates you to get in the gym and get better? Definitely not the first one!

The second part of the word feedback says back. Which means - metaphorically- speak back to this person (not down-huge difference). Remember you are in authority for a reason - you have passed their level of comprehension. You have probably been in their shoes at some point but you are now past it. So take a step back to their level and explain things in a way that will resonate with them. I'm not saying dumb down your material at all! I'm saying think about their perspective is not yet where yours is. Now they can grow to reach your level with proper teaching from their coach. You can encourage them to progress forward  with proper nutrition you feed them or they may shrivel up from embarrassment or low self-esteem from criticism overload!

It could be that this generation is different, but they aren't going away anytime soon. So we can all either keep holding onto old mindsets with new players or we can try a new concept that would give everyone what they seek. Let's choose what works best for the people we coach, teach or manage.

Adapting To Change

 

What is change? Do you have difficulty adapting to change? Are you adapting to positive or negative changes?  

  
     When trying to adapt to a change of scenery or environment and we are having trouble adapting, sometimes to find our way we simply have to ask ourselves those questions. First, let's look at what does Change mean? Change means to make or become different.  In this world there are a lot of things, people, and places that go through changes.  Through all changes to some degree there is an adaptation process that goes along with it.  Let's look at the word Adapt?  Adapt means to become adjusted to new conditions.  Now for many of us, we experience some big changes in our lifetime that we have to adapt to.  Some big changes we all experience in our lifetime are; getting a new job, getting a new home, moving to a new city, attending a new church, or having a new baby.  Talk about adapting! There are many more changes we experience in our lives but the ones mentioned can be very scary or even just plan ole hard to adjust to.

     God gave us all the ability to adapt to things now whether we make it hard on ourselves to adapt to change or not is a different story. We all know that change can be negative or a positive change which on one hand can contribute or not to adapting to change.  I myself, have gone through many changes in my life from jobs to you name it and some were positive and some were negative and that adapt process was sometimes difficult and sometimes smooth. I can honestly say that lessons were learned sometimes the hard way but I'm glad I learned them.  I want to give you a few tips on how you can make that adaptation process go a little more smoother if you are having difficult times with changes in your life and I also hope that your changes becomes positive ones if they are not already.

1.) Understand what the words Change and Adapt really mean. You really can't do anything about what you don't understand. 

2.) God needs to be the #1 source in your life. If God is the #1 source, then He will order your steps, cast away your fears, give you clear and efficient direction on decisions and again with all change comes some adapting; God surly will teach you how you need to adapt to different changes.

3.) Ask yourself; Are you making it difficult for yourself to adapt to changes? Sometimes we can get in our own way and we need to order things within ourselves to find our way.

4.) Ask yourself; Are the changes you are dealing with positive or negative? Is that what's causing me difficulties to adapt? With a lot of negative changes that we may have to go through in our lives, they may be out of our control as far as who developed the change to began with. Know that you, yourself don't have to conform to change if I can ease a little pressure. At that point, you can plan a positive change within yourself that will help you adapt to that negative change that will soon enough turn positive. 

     I wanted to take the time to share a few things that I have learned over the years about adapting to change.  I hope that this does help someone and I want to encourage you to not grow weary in good deeds and keep God first in your life. Although there are going to be harder times then others, know that you always can rely on God and you have all the tools to get through any situation that you may be facing.

     

                                                                                                                                                                                            

Teamwork in the Workplace

Teamwork is defined in the dictionary as a combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient.  Teamwork can sometimes be minimized to being only for sports teams which is not true.  Although sports is the place where teamwork is most discussed.  How much more productive would companies be if they would embody the mindset of developing teamwork in their workplace? 

The next question is how do you develop teamwork in general?  This is an ever-changing answer because you must first understand that every team is different and there is no one process that works for everybody.  The goal is to move your people to a state of unity and out of the state of self.  This takes time and can be quicker for some than others.   

Here are some simple steps to developing teamwork in the workplace:

1. Awareness - You must first inform your employees that they have made a choice to join your company and every day they wake up and decide to come to work is the first step in showing their commitment to being apart of the team.  So leave your selfish ambitions at home.  When you walk through the door leave personal problems at home and realize you are about to walk into an environment where your actions effect everyone here, so act consciously.  
2. Choose - To make the freewill choice to commit to the vision of the company is a huge milestone for employees.  So many people work because they think they need the pay or they think their family needs the benefits.  This needs to be addressed right away that pay and benefits are bi-products of joining your company.  The reason they decide to commit to your company needs to correlate with your mission and vision of the company's future.  That's great that they want to get paid, but getting paid won't motivate them in high pressure situations.  Getting paid won't be enough to make them pay attention to details and ensure quality work.  Pay is not enough!  People need to be committed to a purpose and as a manager or business owner you need to make it clear that employees are expected to make a decision to commit today!
3. Commit - People commit to what they believe in.  They give their time and invest in what they trust.  So how do you build trust and get your people to invest?  You must first have a clear vision that you communicate to them.  Expectations should be thoroughly explained and the process to reach those expectations are crucial to your team's success.  Once the map is laid out and the directions are given on how to get their - begin to guide and empower your people through this journey.  Constructive criticism is necessary but it needs to be direct and private.  Encouragement builds confidence in people and successful people drink it like water. 
4. Align - In sports, individuals can be so talented that they can win a game, but it takes a united team to win consistently.  The same is true for business.  A talented employee can win some battles or meet some deadlines.  They will not be able to do it consistently because consistency derives from joining talents, gifts, skills and personalities together and getting them aligned.  They must be aligned or on the same page as the leadership.  That is so necessary!  The best example of this is a car.  If you buy new tires, you can't just put them on and go.  You will mess up internal balance and other areas of your vehicle.  After you get new tires, you must get them aligned.  This is the necessary step that people cannot see from the outside but your vehicle will not function properly if you skip this step.

Thank you World Harvest Ministries

We would like to send a sincere thank you to Bishop Lewis and Minister Jones for having Kevin and Brenita Jackson at the Women's Alliance this past Saturday.  It was truly a blessing to connect with you and we will continue to pray blessings over all the women who came out as well as your church to be blessed supernaturally this season! Watch a piece of Brenita Jackson's story below! Be sure to like our videos to show your support!

Thank you Prairie View A&M!

We would like to send a sincere thank you to the Prairie View A&M women's basketball team. First class staff with your hospitality and we enjoyed working with your team! Praying for all the success you can imagine as you start a new season! Keep working together to build your EMPIRE!

Thank you Cisco College!

We would like to thank the Cisco College women's basketball and volleyball teams for inviting KBJ Academy to motivate your teams! The team building games were so much fun and we appreciate the opportunity to serve you all! The volleyball team has been undefeated since we came out! Keep wortking together as a team and remember to play with passion!!! #KBJAcademy

Teaching a TEAM Mentality

Does your team have a "Team" Mentality or are they just called a team because they all sit in the same locker room and wear the same color uniform?  Sometimes we can get caught up on the outward appearance of our team and forget to address the inner appearance and mental health of our team.  Most coaches are pretty much on one accord that their team would benefit from mental training for their team to make them tougher, stronger or more competitive.  What if you accomplished this but they did not grow stronger together?  You can have strong individuals and no chemistry.

Below is a video published by KBJ Academy to help teams get started on defining their TEAM for the upcoming season.  A team will take on whatever identity you prepare for so be sure to start with giving your vision and then follow that up with defining goals.  Watch the video with your team to start the conversation on what this TEAM's expectations will be for the season:

Below are some key ways to begin the process of building a TEAM mentality:

1. People have to be taught how to work with others.  If you look at children in general, they are born naturally selfish and thinking about themselves.  We all are naturally selfish! If you are ever around a group of children, you hear them say "mine" or "I don't want to" a lot.  Trying to get them to share their toy is another story!  Children have to be taught to share and use their words to be nice to their friends or to think about someone else's feelings.  If you watch them initially, they do it grudgingly.  So start with activities, drills or projects that require a partner, then a group of 3 and build from their.  

2. Teach awareness. Watch film and teach in practices from the overall view point as much as possible.  It is the same on any job - coworkers must be taught to work together as well.  In fact - people in general would benefit from consistent and daily reminders of becoming more aware of others needs and how your actions can hurt or help someone else.  If one person is not doing their job, it could slow down progress for someone else or hurt the team from growing.

3. Define roles and expectations.  Make sure this is established before they accept the job or offer to be apart of your TEAM.  Put it in their contract if you can - what the expectations are so they know what they are getting themselves into.  This speeds up the process of BUY-IN and eliminates confusion.  Begin to speak words of success to penetrate their minds with positive expectations of each person and what a successful TEAM looks like to you.  Constructive criticism and correction is absolutely necessary but make sure to tell what you expect and how it should be.  Too many times, people spend so much time on WHAT NOT TO DO that they forget to say WHAT TO DO.  

In essence, teaching a "TEAM" mentality takes time and depending on your group's maturity level it could take a week, a month or a whole season to understand.  Some people learn by seeing, some by hearing, some by doing and some by failing.  If you can teach players to have a TEAM mentality then this will compensate for mistakes during games.  Start the conversation early and make sure it is often.  Make sure they get a vivid picture of what they are doing when they think no one is looking and hold them accountable.  

All of these concepts are easier said than done and we get that.  So if you are looking for professionals to come in and teach your staff or team how to have a TEAM mentality then e-mail kbjacademy@gmail.com to inquire about our available dates.  Our team workshops are currently only $250 which includes 2-4 hours of training, strategies and activities to teach leadership, effective communication, team building and accountability!  If you live in the Dallas/Ft.Worth metroplex, travel fees are waived but outside of Dallas, travel fees are separate.  

We would like to thank the Westminster Christian Academy Football coaches and players for their invitation to Kevin Jackson as a guest speaker this weekend.  What a phenomenal experience for KBJ Academy to speak life into our youth and we couldn't be more appreciative.  This video is just a snapshot of what KBJ motivational speaking and team bonding is all about!

What Are Your Obstacles?

Let's start with the definition of an obstacle.  An obstacle is a thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress.  As a coach or player, as yourself; what are your obstacles you face as you try and reach your goals?  Your second question should be; how are you going to win the victory over those obstacles?   Once you identify the answer to those two questions, you have already started to win the battle over the obstacles you face. I want to share a few tips that can help you over come obstacles you face on your quest to become the best coach or player you can be.

1.) Be Persistent - Don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve something.  Stay in the race until you cross the finishline.

2.) Have A Balanced Perception - Don't just have only one perception of the way things should be.  Be open-minded to your approach to different ways your are going to reach your goals and know that there will be obstacles and not always "sunny days!"

3.) Time Management - You don't have to be in a rush! Some success will come faster then others.  Sometimes the bigger the goal is the longer it will take and sometimes, things come together quickly.  Either way, if doors shut in the mist of which ever way time goes doesn't always mean that what you are seeking is not meant to be.

4.) Stay Hungry - A lot of times we need something to fuel on going success in our lives, so we "eat."  We feed off of little wins over obstacles.  The more we eat the more obstacles will not be a bother.

You may be a coach that is wondering how to get your team to buy in to what you are doing or you may be a player who is trying to find your role on the team.  Being persistent, having a balanced perception, having great time management, and staying hungry in your quest to reach your goals can get you there.  You can win the battle over obstacles as long as you know that they are just walls that have been put in your path.  Michael Jordan once said, "Obstacles don't have to stop you..If you run into a wall..Don't turn around and give up..Figure out how to climb it, go through it, work around it."  I encourage you to stay in the race and win first place!

#Be Blessed #Be Encouraged 

Motivational Speaking

KBJ Academy is now booking motivational speaking for teams, youth groups or businesses looking to bring in professionals to prepare your team to win.  We will create engaging activities for your team and teach practical lessons that are going to make your group be more committed.  Some topics that we cover are teaching how to unite, buying in, developing team goals, effective communication, building team chemistry, conflict resolution and learning through wins and losses.

If you would like a quote please e-mail kbjacademy@gmail.com with your ideas on what areas you would like your team to improve on and we will send you a quote with no obligation.

Working Relationships

Are you struggling with a current working relationship or maybe struggling with ending a relationship? I am here to let you know that there are plenty of ways to maintain a great working relationship with others and also there are ways to end a relationship with others. In this post I want to share with you a breakdown of ways to maintain a great working relationship from the leaders to the ones working with them.

Maintaining A Relationship
Great working relationships are very vital to the success of an organization and also can be very nurturing for the individuals involved. Now, some of you may have heard these elements before but some elements that I have always attempted to implement in my working relationships are: Trust, Respect, Empowerment, Sincerity, and Love. Let's look at each element here in a little detail.

 1. Trust - Any kind of relationship will struggle without trusting the person you are working with. Trust works both ways, the leader has to have trust with those who are working under them and the ones that are working under them need to trust the leader as well. So many times trust is slighted in only one direction which is usually in the direction of the leader. There is nothing wrong with this because everyone wants to be around people they can trust but you as a leader need to be trusted as well. Trust both ways will produce balance in the relationship but just remember that trust is earned both ways.

2. Respect - What a great word Respect is! Without respect there is no relationship. It's easy for a leader to be respected by the ones under them but it's not as easy sometimes as a leader to respect the ones that are under them. Respect has to go both ways. "I respect what you do, you respect what I do." Mutual respect in a relationship can limit jealousy which is something that tends to just ware down a lot of working relationships. Mutual respect can also keep both individual's confidence levels high which can lead to massive productivity.

3. Empowerment - I have always been a firm believer in empowering the ones I work with or ones working under me. A leader already has the "power" in a sense, but the ones who work under them have to be empowered. I like to think of it this way, I empower my leader to lead me in a positive way that I am growing and confident that I am doing my part to achieve our goals. As a leader, I empower others ideas, gifts, and their specialties which are going to be used to blossom our overall task or goal.  I know that will help them grow and be confident as well. Empowerment can link so many positive elements in a working relationship. To Empower is to give ownership.

4. Sincerity - Be sincere about about your relationship. This element is important because this will block hidden agendas with people. Leaders be sincere to those under you and those who are being lead should be sincere about your leader. A sincere person does not want to see anyone fall but only to rise. If both parties thought this way, rising together and the overall success of the organization can surly be attained. Sincerity is a true strength in a working relationship and will allow you to fight for each other instead of against one another.

5. Love - Oh the glorious word of Love! The type of love I am mentioning is Agape Love. As a leader, my love is: I love to see those under me be successful. I love to see others blessed in their families. I love to see others accomplish things beyond their wildest dreams, and I will go the extra mile to help them rise. Towards my leader, I love to see them rise. I love to see them be blessed. I love to see their vision be brought together, and I don't mind giving them my best effort to help them. This kind of love can only make a working relationship grow and be successful. If it's not for love, why do you do what you do? Love both ways in a relationship can set the tone for your environment and system.

I hope this post was some help to those of you that needed some direction on maintaining a great working relationship with others. Even if the working relationship is coming to an end, I am a firm believer that the relationship does not have to end on bad terms but can still end with the five elements mentioned in this post on how to maintain a relationship. I am a believer that if you are the type who always have to end a relationship on bad terms that you may have never had any of these elements involved in your relationship and should try some of them to come to better solutions. All in all, relationships matter and great relationships can make things thrive and I encourage you to evaluate your relationships and set them up to thrive.

#BeBlessed

KBJ Academy 2016

Focus

As team members and leaders of a team, we need to engage in all meetings, practices, work outs and games with a focus.  Even the 30 second time out needs to have a focus.  Without focus - there will be a ton of discussions but no direction.  Here are some ideas to evaluate your own focus and begin to have more clear communication within your team or organization:

Define the purpose of the meeting, practice, game, etc. which could include:

• Feedback from an evaluation, practice or game
• Communicating goals for the upcoming week
• Resolving conflict
• Giving praise for an outstanding performance

Once you as the leader have defined a purpose - be sure to communicate this purpose to your team members effectively.  Take into account that there might be different learning styles and you want to present information in a way that engages the diversity that you have.  

Set a time limit for the meeting, practice, work out etc.  For coaches, I believe this is a huge key to success!  If you constantly say practice will be 1 hour but you always go over using an hour and a half or maybe even 2 hours - this is a clear sign that there is not focus or goal to what you have outlined in your practice plan.  When game time comes, do not be surprised when players struggle to reach goals or perform within the game time because you have not prepared them to do so. 

As simple as that may sound - setting a time limit not only prepares team members to execute goals within the limit, it also gives everyone involved a sense of urgency.  As a coach, I can remember running practices for 2-3 hours then watching film for another hour and could not figure out why my players would look sleepy or tired.  I used to always say - they don't love basketball the way I do.  During the off season, I attended some clinics and other coaches practices and realized how much more efficient they were because they had a FOCUS and goals for each drill which allowed the team to complete goals and move on instead of just shooting for 10 minutes straight and having no concept of the percentages made or missed.

Going into the next season - every drill had goals and a focus was outlined for every practice.  We even had weekly goals that we wanted to complete by the end of our pre-season.  Our main goals were to be great man to man defenders, aggressive rebounders and able to score the ball in high volumes by forcing turn overs.  We wanted to advance the ball on the pass - not the bounce unless necessary.  We wanted to teach players to cut and screen away from the ball and work together to score high percentage shots which would open up long range shots.  So with these goals in mind - each week would build upon these foundations.  Here is an example of how we would break down our preseason work outs:

Week 1 = Basic Man to Man Defense 

 1 on 1, build up to 2 on 2, build up to 3 on 3, 4 on 4 then 5 on 5.  Help Defense.

 Then we would practice defending 6 or 7 players - disadvantage situations. 

 Communication, stance, timing and active hands are key contributors to our pressure defense.

Week 2 = Relentless Rebounding

 Teaching players how to keep their eyes on the ball and their man

 We always say "Pursue with Two" = box out with your butt then use two hands to get the ball.

 We drill rebounding all the way through the outlet to half court.  This eliminate turnovers. 

*See Relentless Rebounding blog post 8/7/15.

Week 3 = Conversion

 From our defensive drills we focus on getting stops = forced turnover or rebounding a missed shot.

 All week we would practice converting on all stops pushing the ball up the floor for a lay-up first.  

 Once the defense slows down our transition to the hole, then we will spot up for a shot.

 At the same time, we are working on transition defense too --> its a 2 for 1 special!

Week 4 = Transition

 This focus would be on full court passing and running lanes.

 Teaching players how to run their lanes needs to be a daily emphasis - spacing is crucial.

Week 5 = Half Court Sets

 Now we are getting more game like and teaching our secondary break - if transition is not open.

 We teach how to cut effectively using angles to create space to catch the ball.

 Then we teach setting and using screens effectively.

 Drill the details of ball movement, ball reversal, seeing the floor, reading defenders, etc.

Don't be a slave to your practice plans - if your team is learning something by the middle of the week, make an executive decision to move on and begin teaching the next concept.  

Repetition will give you a chance to sharpen up each skill and create the habits for competition.  Repetition also yields more confidence and cohesion.  I read in an article that Geno Auriemma said "most teams practice until they get it right, we practice until we can't get it wrong."  That speaks volumes of how valuable repetition is. 

We do the same thing with weight work outs and conditioning - everything has a focus and goals. Everything is competitive and they are learning how to see opposition, but trust the process of defeating it.  This comes in handy when its game time so when we call a time out to bring them back into focus, they are used to trusting our processes and trained to execute. 

Hope this helps with your upcoming season and if you have any questions or maybe want to see a sample practice plan from us, just e-mail us at kbjacademy@gmail.com and we will be sure to get back to you.  

#BeBlessed

Giving Back!

One of the most beneficial gifts we can attain on this earth is wisdom.  The actual pursuit of knowledge is a life long process but as we grow and learn, we should not forget to give back to others.  So to continue growing our business - KBJ Academy and giving back to other coaches or players that might be seeking answers we are in the process of building on our services to offer.

We offer consultations to coaches, players and player's parents that can include information about: recruiting, motivation, career advancement, deciding to pick to right school, developing skills and playing professionally.  Your time is valuable to us so if you can e-mail us the best time to reach you along with some brief information about your situation, we will be sure to connect with you within 36 hours.

We are also booking motivational speaking engagements through 2016.  If you have a team retreat, camp, clinic, practice, workshop, banquet or a big game that you want to bring us in for, please e-mail us your dates and time needed so we can send you the application form.  We will make sure your event will be one to remember for years to come!

We are offering marketing services for players and coaches looking to "build your brand" to be recruiting or to attain a specific job.  We will work with you to discover your niche and how to elevate yourself above the rest and how to effectively use social media to your advantage.

Our company will soon be expanding to hosting team retreats and workshops for you on site.  Your response back to us has been heard and we are looking forward to your support and ideas as we grow.  Feel free to leave a comment below with suggestions of what else you would like to see from KBJ Academy.

#BeBlessed

People Builders

Why did you decide to become a coach?  Is it to help people?  Is it to win games?  Is it to be in authority? Is it simply out of a love and passion for the game?

Whatever your reason, have you began to develop your purpose on a deeper and more fulfilling level?  If you have been coaching for more than five years, I hope the answer to this is YES.  Hopefully by now you see the effect you can have on players, coaches and community members and you choose to use that in a positive way.  Our young people are the future leaders for our world and we have to prepare them to take this opportunity to serve, lead and uplift others.

The new trend of players speaking out against coaches has risen concern for several fellow coaches but the truth is, if we commit to building people in a positive way - there is nothing for them to speak out about.  Yet instead they will tell their friends and family about how much they enjoy being pushed to be great when they know it comes from a loving place.  Now this concept is rare to find because most people are about themselves.  Its ok - that is human nature!   As we grow and become more aware of our purpose, and how valuable it is to give someone hope rather than tear them down then we have reached a richer and more meaningful way of living.  As we continue in this light we can see our surroundings improve because we are giving so selflessly to the betterment of others who will intern give back to us.

So I circle back around to the question - Why did you decide to become a coach?  And I add on to it - Have you made the choice to use the position to build people around you?

Leadership: Part 2 - Create a Leadership Team

Leadership has many definitions according to Webster, Wikipedia but more importantly to each person.  Defining leadership can be an activity that you choose to do with your staff and eventually with your team.  Start by first identifying what good leadership looks like to you and how you want to see leadership on your team.  By communicating what expectations are for leaders within your program, you will minimize or even eliminate confusion.  

Once you have developed your desired leadership for your program then begin to discuss: how will this leadership be developed? About my 5th year into coaching, we developed a "Leadership Team" for our program. This was in addition to the 2 captains that the players voted on.  The leadership team was a part of organizing team bonding activities with the coaches. This gave them the opportunity to get engaged and feel a sense of ownership.  It also helps the coaches stay in tune to what kinds of things the players really wanted to do and stay current on their likes or dislikes.  The Leadership Team's Meetings were a safe place to open up about current issues going on with the team and discuss positive ways to resolve any issues.  The meetings were always full of energy and we normally started each meeting with a reading from a Jon Gordon book or a John Maxwell video to spark the conversation.

The players really enjoyed these meetings and other players not on the leadership team began to ask me what they needed to do to become a leader on this team.  This is where positive peer influence came into play and we began to start a trend of players wanting to not only get better on the court, but become better people and choose to lead.

How did we go about choosing the leadership team?  We let the players vote on the captains that they felt would represent the team in the best way on the court and communicate effectively to game officials.  We as a coaching staff choose the leadership team and it started with 5 players that we saw potential in and wanted to see them grow.  They were NOT our starters, our best players or leading scorers but instead the people that had influence on their teammates.  Those were the ones we needed to corral, build up and guide them in the way we needed them to lead their team.  As the season goes on, we may add players to the leadership team that begin to show positive qualities.

What do you do when you have a player that won't seem to buy in?  We all have had several players that tend to test boundaries more than others.  One player in particular, I had join the Leadership Team on a probationary status-meaning she was invited to leadership meetings but was not able to join in discussions, just had to watch and listen.  She was put in charge of cleaning up before and after each meeting, making sure we had pens, paper and my Ipad was set to go on the video we would watch before each meeting.  She was given an extra hour of study hall with me in my office, because as you may have guessed, her grades were not where they needed to be.  She was in charge of making sure we had all supplies out for practice and everything was cleaned up after practice with me.  Each day I saw her I would greet her with a smile, a hug and motivational quote and as she and I went through preparing each day together, I saw a change in her body language.  She began to feel wanted......needed even. As the weeks went by, I would open up the door for study hall and she was there greeting me with her A she got on her test.  Proud as could be and wanted to show me first.  She changed being around the leadership team by hearing positive thoughts, ideas and conversations and actually began to buy in. I saw a change in that kid's behavior on and off the court.  At the end of the semester she wrote me a long note saying how much she appreciates my tough love and not giving up on her like everyone else did.  I say all of this to encourage you to pull those rebels closer to you because that is usually a cry for help.  Now looking back, the leadership team not only benefited us as a team but made those players feel empowered to be accountable, hold each other to a higher level of expectation and respect one another for their unique gift that they bring to our team.

Leadership is a tough subject and after talking to several coaches, I began surveying some coaches and players on the definition leadership to try to identity it within a team.

As we continue to discuss leadership, I would love to hear your thoughts by completing this short 5 question survey at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DPKH22F