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.