The Motivation of Today
Legacy signals
Legacy popularity: 1,277 legacy views
The ability to motivate others well flows from the importance that we attach to the concept of today.
What can we do TODAY?
John Wooden was the most successful college basketball coach of all time. His UCLA teams won 10 national championships in a 12 year time span. Wooden created a major portion of his coaching and living philosophy from one thought-- a single sentence passed on to him by his father when Wooden was a little boy: "Make each day your masterpiece."
While other coahces would try to focus their players on important games in the future, Wooden always focused on today. His practice sessions at UCLA were every bit as important as any championship game. In his philosophy, there was no reason not to play as well in practice as you do in a game. He wanted every player to go to bed each night thinking, "Today, I was at my best."
Most of us, however, don't want to live this way. The future is where our happiness lies. So we project things into the future. The past is where the problem began, so we also spend lots of time in the past. But every good thing that has ever happened, happened NOW, right now. Leadership takes place now, too.
Today is your whole life in miniature. You were "born" when you woke up, and you'll "die" when you go to sleep. It was designed this way so that you could live your whole life in a day. Do you still want to walk around telling your team you're having a bad day?
When your people see you making each day your masterpiece, they will pick it up as a way to live and work as well.
Article author
About the Author
Further reading
Further Reading
Article
What is your handshake worth?
My business gives me the opportunity to work with many wonderful people as a client and as a supplier of services. Some time back however, I found myself doubting. I have been doubting other people and their integrity. I found myself in the position where I was filtering all my interactions through the polarising lens of a few souring experiences. In this space and sense of doubting others I had felt unable to create words or metaphors which could possibly be of service to you. So what changed? Frankly, Brett Godfrey did.
Related piece
Article
Leaders Tell a Story
In the last week I have worked with 2 different people who are struggling to get their message across. They each have an idea and are being blocked by another persons’ apparent stubbornness. In each case when they analysed what was happening they discovered that the other person was not in fact being stubborn, but they were reacting emotionally to an inexpertly delivered message. What to do if you are being blocked.
Related piece
Article
Reclaim Your Locus of Control to Get the Results You Want
We cover the topic of Locus of Control in our Leadership programs, so it is 2nd nature for me to take full ownership for whatever outcomes I am creating in my life. After all why teach it if I am not living it? REcently I have had some events seemingly “happen to me” which rocked my belief in my own control over the results I get. Before I get on with that part of the story a short discussion on what exactly is Locus of Control and how can we use it…rnr
Related piece
Article
Delegating - Only Do what Only you Can do
Several of my coaching clients have requested support with either time management or work life balance When we have a discovery conversation on their challenge there is generally much more to discuss on the topic of insufficient delegation. They're keeping excessive responsibilities, authority and duty to their and their company's detriment. Consequently they under perform at their own level. They hold themselves back or suffer from a lack of balance in their lives with too many hours at work.
Related piece