Last weekend was the PGA Championship and there were two big stories from it. 1) Tiger missed the cut after having won the Masters 4 weeks prior. 2) Brooks Koepka began the final round with the largest lead since the 1930s.
Both stories had a common component. Preparation. Tiger is older now. He needs weeks and weeks of prep to build up to a PGA major event. Between the post Master's events, only 4 weeks between events, and an illness just prior to the event, Tiger wasn't able to complete his necessary prep work to begin the event in a condition to win.
Brooks Koepka is 29. Single. In tremendous shape. Strong mind. He came prepared and dominated from the first few tees. He had some issues in the final round but was able to draw on his preparation and power through to victory. And commentators were already speculating on how long he could keep that level of preparation up.
Tom Brady doesn't eat Strawberries... or lots of other common foods. Why? He's found that being over 40 in the NFL, his success hinges directly on everything he does between games. His diet. His exercise. His preparation.
Michael Phelps. In his final Olympics, Phelps was aiming for particular number of golds and needed one more. The challenge was that his last swim was so close to his previous swim and dramatically cut into his pre-swim prep. That was the story. How would he adapt? He won.
Story after story of pro athletes that have maintained a high level of performance directly related to their prep. And its not just physical prep. It's mental. Ever notice all the guys wearing headphones as they arrive at the event hours before game time? They are getting their mental game going.
How often do we just jump into an activity or role with limited prep? We want sustained excellence but we don't do the prep work. And, just because we've excelled previously we act like that will just continue. Often, as we age, as life adds complexity, as the role grows, we actually need more preparation, not less.
If tomorrow matters. Preparation matters.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Tony, You Are an Underachiever...
"Tony, you are an underachiever."
Those are the words of one of my college professors when I went to his office after getting a D on a book summary. I didn't respond too well to that comment in the moment BUT I didn't dismiss it either. And, it turns out he was right. Or, at least partially right.
That same year my college baseball coach gave me an opportunity I had been saying I wanted for 3+ years. I wanted to pitch. I had been at shortstop most of High School and College and it wasn't my favorite position. Pitcher and catcher were my favorites but thanks to some injuries early in High School plus the fact that our team needed a shortstop I ended up there most of my games. I kept asking my college coach for an opportunity at pitcher or catcher. The reality was we already had enough decent catchers so I knew that probably wasn't going to be my opportunity. But, a team rarely has enough quality pitchers. I asked for 3 years. "No, Tony, we need you at shortstop."
Then, in the fall of my senior year, my coach calls my name before a game and says "Tony, go warm up." I was a little confused. I was ready to play shortstop that game, just as I had for the previous 3 years. So, I asked "to pitch??" and he said "yes". YES!!!
I don't actually remember how that game went but it must have gone pretty well because by the spring, I was one of our top 3 starting pitchers. After 4+ years of no pitching, I had my opportunity and I was making the most of it... Until, my arm started throbbing. Because I hadn't been preparing to pitch, my arm wasn't conditioned to handle the strain of pitching. Many nights I couldn't sleep due to the pain. Advil and Motrin had become a daily supplement. By the end of that season, I not only couldn't pitch, I couldn't even throw the ball from shortstop to 1st base. I finished the year playing 2nd base so I could get the ball to 1st.
What if I had prepared during those years that I had been asking for the opportunity to pitch? I had enough talent to go right in and become a starting pitcher with zero preparation for years. I knew I was a better pitcher than I was shortstop but I hadn't prepared. Who knows if I had the ability to play at least minor league ball BUT I do know I was talented enough to at least consider it. When the opportunity presented itself, I wasn't ready.
At the end of my senior year instead of hopes of continuing playing ball, I was thankful for the time to rest my arm. I didn't throw a ball for over a year and the next time I did, it was on a church softball team.
My professor was right. I had underachieved. Thankfully, though, God had another door ahead of me that my baseball experience was preparing for. Another opportunity and, again, preparation would be key. Would I be prepared this time?
Those are the words of one of my college professors when I went to his office after getting a D on a book summary. I didn't respond too well to that comment in the moment BUT I didn't dismiss it either. And, it turns out he was right. Or, at least partially right.
That same year my college baseball coach gave me an opportunity I had been saying I wanted for 3+ years. I wanted to pitch. I had been at shortstop most of High School and College and it wasn't my favorite position. Pitcher and catcher were my favorites but thanks to some injuries early in High School plus the fact that our team needed a shortstop I ended up there most of my games. I kept asking my college coach for an opportunity at pitcher or catcher. The reality was we already had enough decent catchers so I knew that probably wasn't going to be my opportunity. But, a team rarely has enough quality pitchers. I asked for 3 years. "No, Tony, we need you at shortstop."
Then, in the fall of my senior year, my coach calls my name before a game and says "Tony, go warm up." I was a little confused. I was ready to play shortstop that game, just as I had for the previous 3 years. So, I asked "to pitch??" and he said "yes". YES!!!
I don't actually remember how that game went but it must have gone pretty well because by the spring, I was one of our top 3 starting pitchers. After 4+ years of no pitching, I had my opportunity and I was making the most of it... Until, my arm started throbbing. Because I hadn't been preparing to pitch, my arm wasn't conditioned to handle the strain of pitching. Many nights I couldn't sleep due to the pain. Advil and Motrin had become a daily supplement. By the end of that season, I not only couldn't pitch, I couldn't even throw the ball from shortstop to 1st base. I finished the year playing 2nd base so I could get the ball to 1st.
What if I had prepared during those years that I had been asking for the opportunity to pitch? I had enough talent to go right in and become a starting pitcher with zero preparation for years. I knew I was a better pitcher than I was shortstop but I hadn't prepared. Who knows if I had the ability to play at least minor league ball BUT I do know I was talented enough to at least consider it. When the opportunity presented itself, I wasn't ready.
At the end of my senior year instead of hopes of continuing playing ball, I was thankful for the time to rest my arm. I didn't throw a ball for over a year and the next time I did, it was on a church softball team.
My professor was right. I had underachieved. Thankfully, though, God had another door ahead of me that my baseball experience was preparing for. Another opportunity and, again, preparation would be key. Would I be prepared this time?
Friday, April 19, 2019
Fields of Dreams
The last few days have been spent at my grandparents house near Cobleskill, NY. It's a place I've visited my entire life. Each visit is a benchmark of my past, from my earliest memories. Some are really just memories of photos that I don't actually remember living. They begin in a house my grandfather built on a street he has lived his entire life on. My bedroom being upstairs on the other side of my parents room (no hallway). My great grandmother's house just a baseball throw away and across the street. Their yards were huge... at least in my memory. I don't remember an end to their backyards. It was "impossible" to hit a ball out of the yard. We could roam freely, no limits. Well, that's what I remember. Now, as I drive by those houses, the yards seem remarkably normal. The Weeping Willows are still there but the yards aren't as big.
On this trip, I realized something else. My dreams had changed. Life has happened. I've grown. I have a career. A family. And as I've gone down these paths, the limitless dreams, sometimes assumptions of how life would be, have evolved in my mind just like the yards I grew up playing ball on. Some dreams, like the Weeping Willows, are still there. They've grown over the years and endured the winters. Some are like the boundaries of the yards. I'm not sure if they've shrunk but they sure aren't as limitless and grand as they seemed 30 years ago. Some, like the Shortstop Diner in Cooperstown, are just gone. They don't exist anymore.
I also saw how those dreams have shaped me. It's Cobleskill and Cooperstown that gave me an image of life outside a large city. They gave me a target to aim for when CFA asked where we'd like to live. A place that was smaller and a bit slower than the big city. A place with fresh air, stillness. A place where a community may still gather at "general stores". Oh, and baseball. I dreamed of playing at least minor league ball.
Running the bases with my daughters at the Bulls ballpark, slowing just a bit as we got to shortstop to take a look at home plate and envisioning a ground ball coming. Or, a couple swings with a wooden bat and real baseballs during an open house. That's how Durham has played into my early baseball dreams. Part of me still thinks I could play the game if I put forth the effort...
A baseball, a bat, a ball diamond is still what inspires me to dream. They still provide a moment of comfort. Peace. Stillness. A place to think about what's next. To dream about what's next.
My sport has changed. My family has changed. My home has changed. My dreams have changed. But, I can still go after them if I put forth the effort.
On this trip, I realized something else. My dreams had changed. Life has happened. I've grown. I have a career. A family. And as I've gone down these paths, the limitless dreams, sometimes assumptions of how life would be, have evolved in my mind just like the yards I grew up playing ball on. Some dreams, like the Weeping Willows, are still there. They've grown over the years and endured the winters. Some are like the boundaries of the yards. I'm not sure if they've shrunk but they sure aren't as limitless and grand as they seemed 30 years ago. Some, like the Shortstop Diner in Cooperstown, are just gone. They don't exist anymore.
I also saw how those dreams have shaped me. It's Cobleskill and Cooperstown that gave me an image of life outside a large city. They gave me a target to aim for when CFA asked where we'd like to live. A place that was smaller and a bit slower than the big city. A place with fresh air, stillness. A place where a community may still gather at "general stores". Oh, and baseball. I dreamed of playing at least minor league ball.
Running the bases with my daughters at the Bulls ballpark, slowing just a bit as we got to shortstop to take a look at home plate and envisioning a ground ball coming. Or, a couple swings with a wooden bat and real baseballs during an open house. That's how Durham has played into my early baseball dreams. Part of me still thinks I could play the game if I put forth the effort...
A baseball, a bat, a ball diamond is still what inspires me to dream. They still provide a moment of comfort. Peace. Stillness. A place to think about what's next. To dream about what's next.
My sport has changed. My family has changed. My home has changed. My dreams have changed. But, I can still go after them if I put forth the effort.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Varsity vs Rec League
Growing up playing baseball in little league, it was just part of the game that some of the kids on the team couldn't catch, throw or hit. We were kinda used to it. When the ball went that way, you knew it wouldn't be an out. You just hoped it wouldn't be an in the park home run that started out as a ground ball to second base... I enjoyed the game starting out.
A very distinct memory I have is that when I made the high school baseball team, I started to experience baseball very differently. It didn't matter where the ball was hit. Every position was capable of making the play. We no longer had to put the fastest guy in a position to always back up the guy that never caught the ball. Each player could truly focus on their role and trust the entire team. Baseball got so much more enjoyable to play when you could trust your teammates. All of them.
When we put together a team we need to be very intentional about whether we are a rec team just giving people a chance to try something or are we a Varsity level team that is committed to playing with excellence?
We also must consider who we want to attract. The best ball players want to play with other good ball players. A star athlete isn't likely to stick around on a rec team very long when they can't trust their teammates on routine plays.
As coaches, we get to decide who plays and when they play. Do we want to attract the star Varsity player? Or, the kid that doesn't know which side of the plate to stand on when its time to hit?
Be the coach that will attract those players.
Build the team that will attract other great players.
That's where championships are built.
A very distinct memory I have is that when I made the high school baseball team, I started to experience baseball very differently. It didn't matter where the ball was hit. Every position was capable of making the play. We no longer had to put the fastest guy in a position to always back up the guy that never caught the ball. Each player could truly focus on their role and trust the entire team. Baseball got so much more enjoyable to play when you could trust your teammates. All of them.
When we put together a team we need to be very intentional about whether we are a rec team just giving people a chance to try something or are we a Varsity level team that is committed to playing with excellence?
We also must consider who we want to attract. The best ball players want to play with other good ball players. A star athlete isn't likely to stick around on a rec team very long when they can't trust their teammates on routine plays.
As coaches, we get to decide who plays and when they play. Do we want to attract the star Varsity player? Or, the kid that doesn't know which side of the plate to stand on when its time to hit?
Be the coach that will attract those players.
Build the team that will attract other great players.
That's where championships are built.
Friday, March 29, 2019
... disaster is imminent
"When the rate of external change exceeds the rate of internal change, disaster is imminent." Dan Cathy shared this years ago.
It's March 2019. March is normally a fairly busy month at CFAROX. In February we were looking forward to March and planning for some steady growth given the trends at the time. Then March hit. And it hit fast! The week of March 1 was our busiest week ever. Every day has been the level normally only seen on Fridays. As I type this we are up 22%. It's possible that we could beat our previous best month by 10%. And that is with 5 Sundays, one less business day. We could be up in one month what used to be a solid annual increase.
The rate of change is mind-bending. So, what should we do...? Hit the gym!
We can't sustain this level of performance unless we are hitting the leadership and personal growth gym.
Physical fitness - It can be exhausting to have 20% growth. We've got to be healthy and have endurance.
Relational fitness - We've got to have supporters inside and outside the business.
Mental fitness - We've got to continue learning. The problems that come with this level of business are opportunities to learn and discover new, smarter ways to do what we do.
And, of course, it begins with spiritual fitness. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it."
It's March 2019. March is normally a fairly busy month at CFAROX. In February we were looking forward to March and planning for some steady growth given the trends at the time. Then March hit. And it hit fast! The week of March 1 was our busiest week ever. Every day has been the level normally only seen on Fridays. As I type this we are up 22%. It's possible that we could beat our previous best month by 10%. And that is with 5 Sundays, one less business day. We could be up in one month what used to be a solid annual increase.
The rate of change is mind-bending. So, what should we do...? Hit the gym!
We can't sustain this level of performance unless we are hitting the leadership and personal growth gym.
Physical fitness - It can be exhausting to have 20% growth. We've got to be healthy and have endurance.
Relational fitness - We've got to have supporters inside and outside the business.
Mental fitness - We've got to continue learning. The problems that come with this level of business are opportunities to learn and discover new, smarter ways to do what we do.
And, of course, it begins with spiritual fitness. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it."
Monday, March 11, 2019
Prepare for the Unknown
Back in 2007 I was lying on a hospital bed hooked up to some monitors and an IV. Probably sounds like a dramatic story coming, huh? Sorry. Just a routine hernia surgery. In and out in no time. Running again within a few weeks.
In 2006 I had run a marathon and I had continued my fitness into 2007 so I was in pretty good shape. Not world class. My marathon time wasn't exactly remarkable but I did complete it.
As I was lying there, the doctor asked if I exercised because my heart rate was pretty low. My resting heart rate when I'm in good cardio shape is in the 40s, often the low 40s. That's only OK if you are exercising. It's a concern if this is normal without exercise. So, all good. Then he makes a comment that has stuck with me. "Tony, your fitness is making my job easier AND your recovery will be quicker." That's good news when a surgeon is telling you this. I certainly hadn't planned on having that surgery but my preparation sure helped out.
Pro athletes, Navy Seals, actors... They all train hard and they train for the unknown. It's too late if you find yourself in a jam that you haven't prepared for. Reminds me of the movie Captain Philips. 3 Navy Seal snipers take out 3 pirates with 3 shots (one shot each) simultaneously. Precision was an absolute must. If any of the 3 had missed their shot by even a few inches, the hostages would have been likely killed. Oh, and the sniper shots were taken from a boat at a boat that were both rocking in the waves. Did those snipers know they'd one day have to perform this scenario? I doubt it. How often do you hear about these things? There is a reason this was turned into a movie... What if they hadn't prepared for this unknown?
What does that look like? 3 For 3. Regular workouts to develop Mental, Relational, and Physical fitness. In order to develop a Strong Work Ethic, Relentless Pursuit of Excellence and A Servant Mindset.
Mentors, books, podcasts, walking, running, pushups, healthy foods... You probably won't reap the benefits of all these immediately BUT they will prepare you for opportunities that come down the road. If those Seals had waited till this emergency to train on the skills needed to execute the mission those hostages probably wouldn't have survived.
What are you preparing for?
In 2006 I had run a marathon and I had continued my fitness into 2007 so I was in pretty good shape. Not world class. My marathon time wasn't exactly remarkable but I did complete it.
As I was lying there, the doctor asked if I exercised because my heart rate was pretty low. My resting heart rate when I'm in good cardio shape is in the 40s, often the low 40s. That's only OK if you are exercising. It's a concern if this is normal without exercise. So, all good. Then he makes a comment that has stuck with me. "Tony, your fitness is making my job easier AND your recovery will be quicker." That's good news when a surgeon is telling you this. I certainly hadn't planned on having that surgery but my preparation sure helped out.
Pro athletes, Navy Seals, actors... They all train hard and they train for the unknown. It's too late if you find yourself in a jam that you haven't prepared for. Reminds me of the movie Captain Philips. 3 Navy Seal snipers take out 3 pirates with 3 shots (one shot each) simultaneously. Precision was an absolute must. If any of the 3 had missed their shot by even a few inches, the hostages would have been likely killed. Oh, and the sniper shots were taken from a boat at a boat that were both rocking in the waves. Did those snipers know they'd one day have to perform this scenario? I doubt it. How often do you hear about these things? There is a reason this was turned into a movie... What if they hadn't prepared for this unknown?
What does that look like? 3 For 3. Regular workouts to develop Mental, Relational, and Physical fitness. In order to develop a Strong Work Ethic, Relentless Pursuit of Excellence and A Servant Mindset.
Mentors, books, podcasts, walking, running, pushups, healthy foods... You probably won't reap the benefits of all these immediately BUT they will prepare you for opportunities that come down the road. If those Seals had waited till this emergency to train on the skills needed to execute the mission those hostages probably wouldn't have survived.
What are you preparing for?
Friday, March 8, 2019
I Can Do That
Growing up, one of my favorite ballplayers was Cal Ripken Jr. I was super pumped to get one of his rookie baseball cards. 1982 Topps.
He played for the Baltimore Orioles his entire career, mostly at shortstop which was part of the appeal for me. I was a shortstop.
Cal didn't have a pretty swing. In fact, it was kind of ugly. I read that he was constantly adjusting it. Relentless Pursuit of Excellence before I knew the phrase. He was never "the best player in the game." He was a solid player.
BUT, there was one thing he did better than anybody else in the game, ever. He showed up. In fact, he showed up for 2,632 consecutive games. That is 502 more than the second most, Lou Gehrig. That is 17 years in a row without missing a game about 160 games per season. He played through sprained ankles, twisted knees, a broken nose, even a herniated disk. These are on top of the routine wear and tear of any pro ball player. This earned him a spot in the MLB Hall of Fame.
Cal Ripken was one of my heros growing up. He seemed like a normal guy that just showed up and played the game. Not flashy. Not pretty. Just showed up. Every day. I COULD DO THAT.
I have no doubt that this consistency is what opened doors for me. I showed up and did what I said I would day in and day out. CFA had trust in me. I worked with much more talented people than me. Much smarter. But, they weren't consistent. They didn't get the opportunity.
There are alot of things I can't do very well but I can show up. I CAN DO THAT.
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