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Matter of Perspective

"At Harvard they labeled me a jock.  In the NFL they considered me intellectual." 

(Pat McInally, former NFL player)

A story is told of a husband and wife sitting at a table at the husband's high school reunion.  He keeps staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.

The wife asked, "Do you know her?"

"Yes," the husband signed, "She's my old girlfriend.  I understand that she took to drinking right after we split up all those years ago, and I hear she hasn't stopped since."

"I can't believe it!" the wife said. "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?"

Perspective.  We all see things differently.  Even husbands and wives.  Come to think of it . . . especially husbands and wives! 

Anyways, moving on . . .

TRUST THE PROCESS: NFL Week 17 Fantasy Preview

Where's the NFL season gone?  Sadly, it is Week 17 which means teams are resting starters for the playoffs and other teams are trying out players for the future.  All 32 teams will be in action on Sunday for a full 16-game slate.  What follows are some thoughts to help you make the best decision for your fantasy rosters this week.  I play a balance of Head-to-Heads and Guaranteed Prize Pool Tourneys on DraftKings.  I have a lot of fun doing it.  Good luck to you this weekend.

Goals for 2017

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is now."  (Chinese Proverb)

2016 has gone by so quickly and the New Year is approaching.   The start of the new year will surely bring about numerous "New Year's Resolutions".  Resolutions are really just goals that we set for ourselves.  The following is a list of 25 of the best quotes about achieving goals.  I hope that some of these inspire you to achieve your goals for 2017.  

TRUST THE PROCESS: NFL Week 16 Fantasy Preview

The NFL regular season only has two more weeks to it but that doesn't mean week 16 is any less important.  A number of teams are still fighting for a playoff spot or home-field advantage. There are 1 game on Thursday night, 11 games on Saturday (Christmas Eve day), 3 games on Christmas Sunday and 1 game on Monday night.  Here are a few thoughts related to the main slate of games on Saturday.  As usual, have fun and use this information to make the best decision for you. 

Dead Right

"When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know; But when you listen you may learn something new." (Dalai Lama)

One day in high school, I was walking down the sidewalk with my mother.  We needed to cross the street.  Instead of going to the intersection and crossing at the cross walk, I decided to do it sooner since I figured I could make it before the next car went by.  My mother grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"What are you doing?  There are cars coming", said my mother.

"Don't worry mom", I replied confidently.  "Pedestrians have the right of way."

"Yeah and you'll be DEAD RIGHT", she retorted.

Flat Tire Thankfulness

Today was one of those days.  You know, one of those days filled with frustrations and plenty of SMH (i.e. "Shaking My Head" for those of you that aren't Millennials).  We rented a car to drive from Atlanta to Michigan to visit family for the Thanksgiving holiday.  When the trip ended and we returned the care, I discovered that our car that had been parked at the rental place had not one but TWO FLAT TIRES!!!

Fortunately the rental company had an air compressor.  I started airing up my tire.  I continued airing up the tire.  Minutes late, I was still airing up the tire.  10 minutes later, the tire was inflated to its proper PSI.  It was time for the other tire.  It didn't take as long because I stopped before it was completely inflated.  Impatience was running wild.  It was inflated enough to go to a gas station with free air . . . air that came out of the nozzle much quicker. I mentioned to the rental company that their air compressor was the slowest ever.

That Time My Wife Got Her Way ... and I Was Glad

"Every man wants a wife who is beautiful, understanding, economical and a good cook.  But the law allows only one wife."

I hit the jackpot.  My wife is all of those.  However, I am also like most husbands in that I think I am always right.  

She puts up with my delusions and still loves me.

She knows how to pick battles and doesn't protest every silly thing I say or decision I make.  If she did, she'd constantly have a picket sign in her hand marching around the sidewalk in front of our house.

A few years ago, she put her foot down and didn't let me get away with making a silly decision.  It was the best thing she could have done because the results of that decision have been life-altering.

Rewind back to when we were dating.  She wanted kids.  I say I wanted kids, but I really didn't because I am too focused on my career.  I got my way for years.

Eventually we decide to look at adoption.  I know people that are in the system for years and don't get a child.  I figure that maybe we'll be in the system for years and get too old and at that point, it'll be easy to convince my wife that it is not the right time.

Shortly after receiving final approval to be considered adoptive parents, we got a call that a mother wanted us to adopt her child.  Not only was this unusually quick for a newly approved couple, but the child is going to be born in just a few days.  

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT THE LAST-MINUTE ADOPTION

I step up my game and put on the full-court press as to why this isn't the right time. You name the reason and I probably used it.  "We are starting to play conference games".  "We don't know enough of the mother's background".  "The room isn't painted yet".  "We don't have a crib". "We haven't discussed parenting strategies enough"

My wife was having none of this.  Who was this lady?  What alien was living inside of her and not letting her budge on my eloquently phrased persuasive arguments?  

I finally ran out of time. I had failed. It was delivery day and there was no turning back.

Wow, what a messed up perspective!  Looking back on it now, our son has been a blessing in more ways than I could ever have known.  As educated as I might be or as successful as I've been in my career, this situation proved to me that I don't know everything and that you should be careful what you wish for . . . especially when it is motivated by selfishness.

What are you fighting against in your own life?  What selfish motives might be getting in the way of accomplishing some great things?  Who are you not listening to that might be speaking wisdom into your life?

Thank God that I didn't get my way.  

Thank you God, for bringing both Jaylen and Tabitha into my life!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ADOPTION STORY OF JAYLEN.

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

Bechler Speaks at the University of Illinois

Motivational speaker and leadership trainer Jamy Bechler recently spoke to Big Ten student-athletes at the University of Illinois.  As a long-time college basketball coach and administrator, he connected with the student-athletes using insightful and relevant illustrations.

The Fighting Illini student-athletes learned various concepts and practical ideas on how to be better leaders and become people of influence. Bechler emphasized that each one of the players is a leader, not just the captains, upperclassmen or starters.

In quoting the world-renown leadership expert, John C. Maxwell, he said that "leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts but about one person influencing another."  Each of the players possesses the ability to influence themselves and their closest friends to do what is right, which then creates a leadership ripple effect. These daily choices to lead and influence in a positive manner then creates a championship-type culture.

“I thought the information that Jamy gave us was incredibly valuable”, said women’s basketball head coach Matt Bollant. “He has a great way of communicating what's important to be successful as a team or in business."

In addition to speaking to the women’s basketball team, he also spoke to the softball team, who earned a trip to the NCAA tournament last season in Tyra Perry’s first year as head coach of the program.

Jamy Bechler now travels across the country speaking to high schools, colleges and businesses. He also works with the Atlanta-based non-profit leadership company, The Greentree Project, to provide coaching to companies and leaders looking to minimize complexities and produce more results. They also regularly conduct team experiences for businesses and organizations at their executive retreat center.

To contact Jamy Bechler about speaking to your group or scheduling a team building experience for your organization, please contact him at Jamy@CoachBechler.com. 

7 Tips for Applying for Your Next Job

I have been involved with numerous job searches, both as a candidate and while serving on committees.  Whether you are looking for a part-time job, a job in your current industry or thinking about changing careers, you have to figure out a way to differentiate yourself.  Nearly every job that is available will be a difficult up-hill battle to secure.  The odds are sometimes stacked against you because there is so much competition, but there are some things that you can do to help you increase your odds slightly and give you a better chance. Obviously, not all bosses, hiring committees or jobs are alike, but there are some general rules that applicants should follow if they want to give themselves a fighting chance to get an interview.

1. Read the job posting and do what it says.   If it says “no calls”, then don’t call.  If it says “postal mail” or “email only”, then adhere to these requests.  If you have to fill out an institutional job application to be considered (normally a requisite at state schools), then do this.

Be Obsessed or Be Average

Are you looking for a way to reach your potential and differentiate yourself from other people in your industry?  

Do you have challenges and frustrations in your life? 

Are you dwelling on your problems or committed to finding solutions?

Do you have some negative obsessions or passions in your life?  Have you ever thought about embracing them for good?  Have you ever thought about taking any of those and turning them into positives? What are you most passionate about?  What are you most obsessed about?  Turn that energy into solutions and doing things that benefit yourself and others.

Motivational Speaker Visits Schools

I recently embarked upon a week long adventure to Michigan and Indiana to talk with student-athletes at various high schools and colleges.  My topics ranged from social media to making championship choices to becoming a better leader.  It was a fun time of adding value  to others.  At one of the schools, a newspaper reporter attended the event.  As a result of word of mouth, there have been other schools scheduling me to come speak at a later date. My next trip to up north will be October 17-21.

Click here to read the Hillsdale Daily News article about me speaking.

Click here to read further information about branding yourself positively through social media.

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

Are You Growing?

“Do or do not...there is no try” said the Jedi Master, Yoda, to the young Luke Skywalker. 

I was a youngster when The Empire Strikes Back was in theaters. I loved that line then and I love it today. It can be used in a variety of settings.  However, as I have been thinking about leadership the last few weeks, it has become apparent that some of us get stagnant and don’t really commit to growth as leaders. We say we’ll try, but we don’t really.

I once gave a copy of a leadership book by Doug Dickerson “Leaders Without Borders” to my boss. He was quite busy, yet he read the book within the next week. He didn’t even say he’d “try” to read it, but rather that he would read it on his next trip while he was flying . . . and he did!

Huffington Post Publishes a CoachBechler.com Article

The Huffington Post, a prestigious online site, has published one of the articles that was previously on CoachBechler.com.  The Huffington Post was founded by Arianna Huffington in 2005.  The website has more than one million comments per month.  

Click here to read the post on Huffington Post entitled "5 Things To Do When You Join The 'I Got Fired' Club".

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

Jamy Bechler Appears on Master Leadership Podcast

Motivational speaker and executive leadership coach, Jamy Bechler recently appeared on the Master Leadership podcast hosted by Lily Sanabria.  You can listen to the podcast on iTunes by going to "Master Leadership" and clicking on Jamy's interview.

In the interview, he tells his story of how he went from a book-reading and impressionable middle schooler to a college basketball coach.  It is apparent during the 45 minute conversation that Jamy has a strong passion for helping others grow and develop, while maximizing their potential.  He shares many insights from his many ups and downs over the course of his college coaching and high school administration career.

The Master Leadership podcast is currently on  iTunes, Stitcher Radio, RSS Feed, Google Play, iHeart Radio and at www.MasterLeadership.org.

The show is introduced by national radio & podcast personality, John Lee Dumas.  It host weekly guests from across the nation, who are considered experts in the field of educational leadership.

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

Bechler Joins The Guidestone Group

One of the nation’s premier leadership companies has announced the addition of a certified leadership coach, trainer and speaker to their team.

Jamy Bechler will be joining The Guidestone Group as the Senior Director of Leader Engagement.  He will head up their leadership development programs, motivational speaking division, as well as helping develop team experiences for their executive retreat center.

Click here to read Jamy's complete biography before joining the Guidestone Group.

5 Things to Do When You Join the "I Got Fired" Club

"Hey, Jamy, do you have a minute?”, the athletic director asked me as I was getting ready to take my college basketball team on a team building experience.  It was early January and school had not yet started.   

Little did I know that in the next few minutes, I would be receiving my invitation to a well-known club that has plenty of members all across the country. 

“Jamy, we are going to go in a different direction at the end of the year and you will not be returning as our head coach.”

And just like that, as one of the younger head coaches at the NCAA level, I was a card carrying member of the “I Got Fired” club. 

Be a Star in your Role

"Be a star in your role, and for me, that's high-energy, use my motor, just play hard. Play hard, be relentless on the glass. And that's what I bring to this team. That's my job. Just be a star in your role, and I try to do that every night." (Tristan Thompson)

Tristan Thompson's huge double-double in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals and unselfish play in all of the games helped lead the Cleveland Cavs to the World Championship.  Good thing for Cavs fans and players that he didn't pout about his boring and un-glamorous role.  He might not be Lebron James, but he can now call himself a CHAMPION!

Many of us are in positions or roles that we don't like.  Some of us are in leadership positions where we have disgruntled team members.  I want tell you a little story.  A story that I don't think I will ever forget.

One-on-One Meetings That Work

Let's face it, most people hate meetings.  However, what if I told you that you could conduct one-on-one meetings that were meaningful and purposeful?  

Michael Nichols, one of Inc.com's Top-100 speakers and executive coaches wrote an article that explains just that.  If you are someone that is in a position to share information with anyone in-person, then this is an article you need to check out.  Click here to improve the way you do one-on-one meetings.

Let's just hope that your one-on-one meetings don't end up like Michael Scott from "The Office" . . .

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

What Really Matters in Life

In a recent NY Times interview, Walt Bettinger, the Chief Executive of Charles Schwab talked about the lessons he learned in college:

“A business strategy course in my senior year stands out. I had maintained a 4.0 average all the way through, and I wanted to graduate with a perfect average. It came down to the final exam, and I had spent many hours studying and memorizing formulas to do calculations for the case studies.

The teacher handed out the final exam, and it was on one piece of paper, which really surprised me because I figured it would be longer than that. Once everyone had their paper, he said, “Go ahead and turn it over.” Both sides were blank.

And the professor said, “I’ve taught you everything I can teach you about business in the last 10 weeks, but the most important message, the most important question, is this: What’s the name of the lady who cleans this building?”

And that had a powerful impact. It was the only test I ever failed, and I got the B I deserved. Her name was Dottie, and I didn’t know Dottie. I’d seen her, but I’d never taken the time to ask her name. I’ve tried to know every Dottie I’ve worked with ever since.

It was just a great reminder of what really matters in life, and that you should never lose sight of people who do the real work.”

This story made me think of the book that I just finished reading.  In Todd Gongwer's book "LEAD . . . for God's Sake!", a rich CEO and a successful championship basketball coach are heavily influenced by a high school janitor.  If you haven't read Gongwer's book, I highly suggest it.  Your perspective on life will change. You will be on your way to leading a life of significance.

Ralph Waldo Emerson has been attributed with saying "Every man that I meet is in some way my superior and in that way, I learn from him."  Furthermore, the Bible says in Proverbs "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

Just Bring The Ship In

"Don't tell me how rough the water is, just bring the ship in".

I first saw this quote on Kobe Bryant’s twitter feed a few years ago as a “Mambo-ism”.  I don’t know who originally said this but I have said similar things for years.  Among them is the one quote that my players always rolled their eyes at ‘Don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby.’  

One of my former bosses was Andy Carter.  He was the Vice President of Athletics when I was at Newberry College.  I remember him always saying that ‘if it was easy, I wouldn’t need you’.  That has stuck with me to this day.  Each of us have certain strengths that we bring to the table.  We have a responsibility to utilize these strengths to attain success. 

The Daily Routine to Change your Life

“No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you've come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.”  (Madonna)

I am probably just as surprised as you are that I started this post with a quote from Madonna.   But hey, I gotta say that she was an underrated actress, an outspoken social critic and she  had some great songs (like "Get in the Groove", which helped me win a dance contest in 7th grade . . . but I digress).

At the end of the day, I truly believe her quote.  We are always in a position to make a decision that can change our lives.  It is never too late, until the day that you die.  As the old Chinese proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is today."

Expert business builder and entrepreneur, Matt Crane, recently talked about life change while improving the daily routine.  If you are wanting to be a better version of yourself, then you definitely need to check this out. Please click here to read his insightful article and become a better version of yourself.

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

Make One Decision that Solves 1000 Problems

Unless you landed on earth in an UFO and hail from an alien planet, you have some issues that need solving.  Let's face it . . . we all have problems.  We all are faced with hundreds of choices per day.

What if I said that you could make a decision that solved more than one problem?  What if you could 'kill two birds with one stone' in your daily life?  What if you could simplify your life or your decision-making process?

Jonathan Milligan is one of the most well-respected bloggers on the internet. He recently wrote about his decision making and how he simplified his life by solving multiple problems with just one decision.  This is something that should pique the curiosity of everyone out there because we all make decisions, have problems and want our lives to be simpler.  I highly suggest that you click here to learn how to solve 1000's of your problems.

Jamy Bechler is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.

3 Ways to Make Your Boss Better

We all have a boss.  We all answer to someone.  Board of directors, supervisor, coach, parents or wife.  Even the president of the United States has a boss in the form of millions of citizens.  

We may not be in as crazy a situation like the worker in the following video, but you may see some similarities in this "Office Space" clip.  If you are like me, then you’ve had bosses that have been good and bosses that have needed some improvement.

Facebook Makes Employees More Productive

"Like" us on Facebook

According to statistics from Facebook, two average users are now only separated by 3.5 degrees. That's even less than the 4-degree average in 2011. Facebook attributes this increase in connection between disparate people to the increasingly global reach of the site.

It seems like Facebook makes the world go round.  1.6 billion people have accounts on Facebook and it is growing as 8 people join every second.  It can overcome distance as it helps friends and families to stay in touch with each other.