Tag: Goals

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365 Coaching Tips: 148th, 149th and 150th

May 28th Coaching Tip: Six Questions for Your Budget.

Talked to my godson recently and he mentioned how important it was that I taught him how to budget in minutes. It was one of those moments for me that I actually don’t recall; however, for him it was a moment that mattered to him, and he’s shared the budgeting tips with his friends for years now.

Let’s get the ball rolling here by answering these questions about your income and expenses to help you establish your budget. 1) What is your total income? 2) What is your net income (after taxes, 401K, health insurance and social security are deducted from your paycheck, if applicable), 3) What do you want to save for and why? i.e. $5,000 emergency savings account or $40,000 for a home downpayment or $15,000 for a few months off to study or travel. 4) What are your monthly mandatory bills, i.e. food, housing, utilities, cell phone, and car or transportation expenses. 5) What are your discretionary monthly bills, i.e. health insurance, dining out, clothing, entertainment, gifts/parties, etc. 6) What is your monthly debt that is NOT housing, i.e. Visa, Mastercard, loan payback to parents and friends, etc.

Once you understand these six questions, take 5-10 minutes to answer them. Your MONTHTLY net income needs to be MORE than all of your MONTHLY mandatory, discretionary and debt. If you are positive, then you have the ability to save even more. If your expenses are higher than your net income, then you must a) find ways to increase your income (work a second job, have a side hustle, etc.) and also find ways to reduce your expenses. For example, during my 25 years at Caterpillar, I made my lunch in the morning and took it to work most days that I was in the office. Let’s assume that I saved $7/lunch during the 25 years, working in the office those days that I brought my lunch of 180 days equates to a $31,500 savings just by bringing my own lunch. Another cost saver that we still implement is that we go out to eat one evening a week. And, since I’ve been 21 years old, I contributed to my company’s 401K and the companies matched my contribution. Experts call this, “pay yourself first” by having it automatically deducted from your paycheck, and you won’t notice it since it never becomes a part of your discretionary budget. Know how to answer these six questions on your budget.

May 29th Coaching Tip: Get Yourself A Mentor.

Yes, I’m 60 and I found my mentor for my next couple decades. We met back in 2012 when he hired me to be the VP of Marketing for a tech startup. Fast forward to 2025, he has been working with a number of tech startup companies, helping 20-30 year old entrepreneurs build up their company and grow it, to ultimately sell. He’s 10 years older than me and I look forward to learning what he did from 60 to 70 years old, and then implementing many of his tips and tactics. He’s family oriented, enjoys makes memories, very health and sports focused, lives in the same areas (Naples, FL and Carmel, IN) as me, etc. I look forward to learning from my mentor, as we both agree, our best chapters in our life’s book are ahead of us. Get yourself a mentor.

May 30th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Your Wins.

After selling two homes recently, it was time to celebrate. One of the homes in Westfield, IN, was sold to a couple who was well prepared, and we closed on a price $6,000 over list price (we had 4 offers in 48 hours of the listing) in just two weeks. The other home in Delray Beach, FL, also sold to a young couple at list; although they were not as prepared, my realtor helped them actually get their financing completed to finalize the closing before the end of May.

Why celebrate? Because I challenged myself to buy both of these homes during COVID when times were a bit weird and unknown. Fast forward to 5 years later, selling these two homes is allowing me to do another project closer to my college home of Indiana University. We are in the midst of remodeling a 95 year old farmhouse with a green metal roof; the nearly 10 acres has a couple barns, a “she-shed”, and a chicken coup. We will celebrate there soon with a house and barn warming party, complete with a DJ playing music, and having fun with the indoor pickleball and basketball courts. Celebrate Your Wins!

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365 Coaching Tips: 145th, 146th and 147th

May 25th Coaching Tip: Explore.

Invited some friends to come over to Indianapolis and Carmel, IN for the weekend to go explore downtown Carmel and then join us to see the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. Our group of nine total ranged from 8 years old to 63; two black men in their 30’s; a married couple; and another couple. My bestie and I went to explore the parking situation a couple days prior to the Indy 500 since it’s sold out; we have four different groups coming in for the race, so we had to have a common location for everyone to show up. It worked! We all showed up between 8:30-10:40am, had an early tailgate, then walked to the race Sunday morning. One of the guys wore a hat with the word “Explore” on it. He was exploring; he had never been to the Indy 500, not even a fan, but he was ready to explore.

Now in my sixth decade, I’m all about truly making memories and giving people the chance to see and experience new things and/or things that I deeply love and cherish. By the end of the evening, I had received the sweetest thank you’s from all involved. Explore!

May 26th Coaching Tip: Memorial Day.

Although I haven’t lost anyone directly close to me in the line of military duty, we choose to honor those who have lost their lives. Today, I am wearing my Navy t-shirt. My grandfather George was called to Navy duty in the last year of WWII when he was 33 years old, married and had a son (my father). My partner’s dad was a Navy pilot after WWII. We choose to honor them, as their efforts definitely helped us have the freedom to celebrate today.

May 27th Coaching Tip: Get Checked Out.

Couple months ago I noticed a dark spot on my left arm had developed. It was close to a spot that I had removed a few years ago. In no real rush, I scheduled a full dermatology checkup for when I returned to Carmel in mid-May. Welp, the spot that I thought was concerning was actually a good ole age spot; however, the doc found a basal cell spot on my right arm. Glad he checked me over, because I had not even noticed it. Today, I got it removed, just one week after it being noticed. Be courageous and intentional regarding your wellness; don’t wait, get checkout out. (My father had multiple spots of skin problems, and his ears took a toll due to him being outside so much as a farmer, worker, and horse trainer. He regularly visited the dermatologist and had them addressed.)

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365 Coaching Tips: 139th, 140th and 141st

May 19th Coaching Tip: Parks are FREE.

What a way to introduce your kids to free entertainment by simply taking them to a park. Teach a child how to go find 10 different leaves or six different bugs or five different weeds or wildflowers. Ask them to go make a friend with someone else. Time them as they run or play. Parks are free and simply go underutilized.

I’m always amazed when I go to Central Park in NYC; no matter the time of the year, it’s busy and bustling. Mostly with adults. Adults realize how important it is to be outside, soaking up sunshine, laying on the grass, listening to the birds chirp, running or walking on the many paths. If we as adults get it, then let’s make sure that our children get those experiences early in their lives. Parks are free and might be one of the best educational experiences that kids can have.

May 20th Coaching Tip: Practice The Script.

Today I worked with a couple young advisors who are learning how to care for clients of their colleague, a senior advisor who is expecting to wrap up working in the next couple years. As these two are meeting the clients for the first time, they are simply listening and taking notes. For the second meeting, we are now working on scripting and practicing questions for them to ask these clients. They landed on asking them about their family tree. We agreed that who doesn’t like talking about their family tree. And the second question would be to ask permission to reconfirm the beneficiaries on record for their accounts. We practiced these questions and relief came to them with smiles. Then we added another part of the script. After these meetings with the clients, the young advisors would call clients back, at the request of the senior advisor. This ties the effort together, and the client is understanding that the senior advisor is still in charge, but delegating work to be done. Take time to practice the script. It will drive more confidence and comfort for all parties involved.

May 21st Coaching Tip: Stand Up to Greet People.

Recently as a client, I went into an office and was greeted warmly and professionally by a couple of the company’s colleagues. They both stood up and came out of their offices and workspace to greet me. But a third colleague just looked at me and stayed seated in his work cubicle. It immediately created an uncomfortable situation for the two who had greeted me, knowing that I was a client.

Coaching tip for today is simple: when a client approaches you, stand up and greet them. A simple handshake or even a quick standup and smile at them are both appreciated. If you don’t stand up, you may be sending a signal to that client that they don’t matter. Stand up.

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365 Coaching Tips: 136th, 137th & 138th

May 16th Coaching Tip: Weather Warnings.

Pay attention to the weather and the warnings. For most of the week, the news and weather channels were warning parts of the country about incoming severe thunderstorms that could create tornadoes. This is how quick the weather changed on a nice spring afternoon. At 4pm til 545pm, I was sitting outside with my neighbors chatting and watching a softball game. As I jumped in my car to head to my 6pm haircut, I called those same neighbors quickly and said, “The weather in the west looks ominous. Can you guys take down my flags and move some stuff inside?” They got in to motion quickly. By 630pm, my haircut was done and I drove to get some groceries to then head north to our lakeside condo. As I was looking west and also at the radar, the storm looked like it was going to stay south as I was driving a bit north. But all of the sudden the tornado sirens started blaring and I knew that I needed to get to the condo quickly to be safe. I drove quickly to the condo…only to find out later that the worst winds were happening right as I was entering my condo. Pay attention to weather warnings; it can be a matter of life or death, as more than 30 people across the Midwest died that evening.

May 17th Coaching Tip: Take Lazy Day.

This coaching tip is simple. Sometimes you just need a lazy day. Take it. You have to listen to your body. Being good to your body is a vote for YOUR overall wellness. Take a lazy day.

May 18th Coaching Tip: Avoid The Head-On Collision.

It was a lovely Sunday morning as my mother was driving from her home in Kentland, IN to make a quick stop in Lafayette and then travel on to meet our family for a baby shower in Pendleton, IN. This will be her 7th great grandchild, and these events are beloved by my mother. As she was just 20 minutes in to her trip, some type of truck started heading directly at her. She avoided the head-on collision and the side-swipe, she quickly reacted, but both tires on the passenger side hit the curb and immediately went flat due to the sudden impact. My mother got her car pulled over at a gas station very close by, regained her composure, and although she was shaking a bit, called me to tell me what had just happened and that she was ok.

She and I quickly developed a plan to get her car insurance involved to fix the tires/get the car towed, and then my partner and I got the wheels literally rolling. My partner drove to the exact location where my mother was; mom was already identifying who had the tire size available and who was open to install them on a Sunday afternoon. Fast forward to 7pm…my mother and I did make it to the shower a couple hours late, then returned to pick up her car with two new tires. The biggest decision she made all day: avoid the head-on collision.

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365 Coaching Tips: 127th, 128th & 129th

May 7th Coaching Tip: Are You Magnetic?

This past week, I had the pleasure of coaching a multi-generational team in Naples. As we wrapped up, one of the women looked at me and said, “I’m so pumped up to go make change. You’re magnetic!” I was completely caught off guard but somehow had my wits about me to smile and thank her.

Are you magnetic? It means that you’re attractive or alluring, as a person. I’m pleased that I had that impact on her. However, it’s my responsibility as a coach to follow up and see if the magnetic feeling is now carrying over into this week with execution. Most of us have a few magnetic people in our lives. What we do with that magnetic feeling is the ultimate test.

May 8th Coaching Tip: Training Someone Else.

As I flew home this evening on a plane that was just 1/3 full, we had a funny, senior flight attendant who really took to the microphone. He explained what we needed to do as we entered the plane: space out and only 1-2 people per row. Everyone complied. Then he explained that he was training a new flight attendant, as it was her first flight, and he requested that everyone should give her some grace. The passengers clapped and were kind to her. As she made drinks for everyone and brought them to our seats, he stood behind her and watched her as she delivered them all.

We’ve all been there, that moment when you’re a new employee and you don’t know everything. But whew, does it ever help when you have good training and a willing mentor/partner to quickly give you feedback as you begin your new role. Help someone out by helping train them. It might make you a better leader and colleague, too.

May 9th Coaching Tip: Gardening Is Like Leading.

My grandmother could get anything to grow and her flowers in her yard were always vibrant. My mother has similar skills and has won numerous flower and garden awards. This weekend, I was trying to emulate their skills. Out came the flowerpots, in came the annuals, dirt, and fertilizer. Identifying which flowerpots would be in the shade with which flowers was important from the beginning of my potting process. I set aside four window boxes because they are all in the shade and they need shade loving annuals (impatients). The other pots would need partial shade or full sun.

As I was potting, I was realizing that gardening is much like leading. It’s important to provide the right amount of sunshine, pot size, fertilizer, soil, and water…or the flowers and plants don’t thrive. Similar to people, leaders need to make it a priority to really understand who needs what (sunshine, fertilizer, etc.) and when, all in an effort to help them grow and develop into the teammate or colleague that they can become. Seeds turn into seedlings, then to small plants, on to medium to larger flowers/plants, and ultimately their time runs out at harvest or die due to cold weather. If you care for your people like a gardener cares for their garden, you should reap great rewards. Are you a gardener of people?

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365 Coaching Tips: 118, 119 and 120th

April 28th Coaching Tip: Learning AI now.

Not sure why, but I’m not reading/listening to as many books on Audible as I have over the last few years. The Audible credits have been piling up; I have a couple upcoming trips, the weather is really nice for outdoor walking now, so it’s a great time to put in the ear buds and listen/learn. Popped open my laptop a couple days ago and downloaded three books on artificial intelligence (AI). Why? Because I had another leader tell me, “if you don’t understand AI and how it’s impacting every piece of businesses all over the world, they you will soon fall behind and become less relevant.” That direct statement hit me between the eyes and I was completely OK that he said it to me.

How has it impacted me already listening to five chapters on AI? I realized today that three different people were working in spreadsheets over a matter of month…and AI could have summarized the input in a matter of seconds or less than a minute. I’m using AI Grok on Twitter/X, the AI search in google that is now the first paragraph in search, Alexa in my home much more frequently for weather, traffic, and ongoing questions. Do I want AI to take over the world with our 8 billion people? NO! However, how can we utilize it to help our lives be more efficient? I’m learning AI now because I don’t want to be a senior who can’t figure it out later.

April 29th Coaching Tip: Time Zone Accuracy.

Today I scheduled a couple personal and work appointments. Two of them were on the west coast, and another I just wasn’t sure where they are located. As I provided dates and times, I added one letter: “E” for Eastern Time Zone. It’s really that easy and simple to be specific on requesting an appointment. Put a E for Eastern, or C for Central, or P for Pacific after the time. Because of taking the time to truly think it over, it makes the scheduling much quicker, with less back and forth.

When race fans drive to Indianapolis from the nearby state of Illinois, some get to the Indy 500 an hour late…because they forgot that Indiana is on Central time zone. One time, my godson drove from Illinois to Bloomington, IN for an event…and showed up one hour late. He was happy to be there, but darn it, that time zone accuracy got him. Be in touch and more efficient when you include Time Zone Accuracy.

April 30th Coaching Tip: Tidy Up Before You Leave.

We travel a lot and have multiple homes or places we visit frequently. To make our lives easier as we age, we like to do a few things before we leave: 1) tidy up the home quickly, so that it looks nice when you return, 2) run the dishwasher so that the dishes are clean and dry when we return, 3) do a load of laundry before we leave, so that the stinky isn’t stinky when you return, 4) quickly check out the items in the frig…if it is starting to look a bit icky, toss it, because it will be moldy when you return, 5) put the good items in the frig into the freezer, and we write ourself a note and put it on the counter on “what’s in the freezer”, 6) if we are gone for more than a few days, we turn off the water and the water heater, and put the thermostat on the eco mode, 7) arrange the transportation ahead of time (schedule the Uber, ask a friend, or plan for the car the be at the airport and share it’s location), 8) we have our favorite stuff at all the locations, i.e. lotion, deodorant, razor, hair stuff, key food items, our comfy shoes and clothes, vitamins, etc. Note: #8 allows us to travel with less stuff, and we don’t have to remember as much. Tidy up before your leave, which makes you smile when you return.

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365 Coaching Tips: 109th, 110th and 111th

April 19th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Others.

When someone turns 80 and throws a party, go! That’s exactly what my uncle did. He (at 80 years old, too) flew in from Denver on Good Friday. We relaxed most of the day before the party, then I drove my uncle around 4pm to this 80th birthday party of one of his fraternity brothers (Blair) from Indiana University. About 7pm, my phone rings and my uncle & Blair’s wife were calling me to invite me to the party to meet their family, taste some of their bourbon collection, and eat some of the remaining chocolate desserts. How could I say no to those three requests? Fast forward to 10:45pm, my uncle and I are in the car driving home after listening to a duet of live music that Blair had hand-picked, laughing hysterically with his family, and lugging those yummy left-over desserts (moist, chocolate fudge cake and chocolate covered strawberries) home to enjoy with Easter dinner. Join in the fun and celebrate others. It was Blair’s big 80th birthday and what a party he threw!

April 20th Coaching Tip: Catch The Sunrise.

It’s Easter Sunday; to us, it’s one of the most beautiful mornings to get up early and catch the sunrise to be reminded of the good news ahead for us eternally. The evening before, we headed up to our lakeside condo, which faces east, and the Easter sunrise was glorious. It was worth the effort and a great reminder to just get up and catch the sunrise.

April 21st Coaching Tip: Think Ahead.

The next three weeks have me hitting multiple cities, speaking to multiple groups with multiple presentations. In reviewing my timeline, I set some time-blocking on my calendar to work on the high priority and very specific items to help ensure that I stay ahead and don’t fall behind. I also asked myself who can I leverage to help stay on schedule and completely on point. Earlier this month when I delegated a key piece of the prep work, I inspected some work that was done by others so help ensure that it was complete and accurate. Unfortunately, it was not completed accurately, and it may put my reputation as a speaker and a facilitator of a session with three others somewhat at risk. Thank goodness the “think ahead” mantra was in full effect, and we have time to recover/fix the work and get back on track. Think ahead!

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365 Coaching Tips: 106, 107 & 108

April 16th Coaching Tip: Pay Attention To Messages.

Our flight was delayed this week for an hour, then it pushed another hour. Since we are well-seasoned travelers, we knew that these delays would most likely lead to a long, uncomfortable evening in the airport. After the second delay, we quickly discussed our options, paid our restaurant tab, and made the decision to head back home so that we could sleep in our own bed and watch our favorite show at 830pm. Glad we made this decision, because we found out that our flight was delayed from 7pm to 12am, and then ultimately cancelled. Pay attention to messages, they might just save you some angst; I’m sure others weren’t paying as much attention and got angry at the delays and ultimate cancellation. Pay attention…and trust your expertise.

April 17th Coaching Tip: Plan For The Future.

Recently I met with two key leaders; believe it or not, they didn’t know it, but they were in the moment helping me plan my future. One really needed me as a business coach and trusted advisor, while the other wanted to hear more about my background and how I might be able to help others (since I have nearly four decades of business and leadership experience) in the next few years. These two discussions have me really thinking about my future. I’m asking myself: WHO can I help? on WHAT topics? and WHEN do I do this? and WHERE do I want to do it?

My abilities to influence and develop others, solve problems, be comfortable working locally and globally, and have a focus on client experience are valuable to a wide variety people. Now’s the time (no matter your age) to Plan for the Future. YOUR future!

April 18th Coaching Tip: Inspect Your Decisions.

Yesterday I went to inspect a late change that I made in the house remodel project that we have in progress. I had made the original decision to go with an off-white paint color (named after the dog breed, West Highland White Terrier). I really thought it was a good choice, as I compared 8-10 different off-white colors. However, the name grabbed me emotionally since we used to have two Westie dogs. When I saw this color on the walls of the house, it didn’t feel right, as it had too much yellow in it. I had to make a change, just had to. Quickly, I selected a brighter white, named “White Snow.” My painters went to the paint store, grabbed the new paint, started painting and said, “much better…what should we do with the West Highland paint?”

Since it was my decision to change the color, I knew that I had to drive back to the remodel project and go check out the new paint color on the walls. Sure enough, it looked so much better and the white was brighter. It made me smile! And this week we received a permit for the new proposed garage, so we will utilize the paint that was already purchased/bit yellow for the interior of the garage. We all agreed with the changes. Recommend that if it is YOU who makes a change on an important decision, go check it out and inspect it.

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365 Coaching Tips: 97th, 98th and 99th

April 7th Coaching Tip: Portal Positives.

Last night, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team won the NCAA championship in an intense battle against a very strong Univ. of Houston team. Give the staff and these players some credit for winning this championship, as they were down 12 points, stayed focused, and only had the lead for just over a minute in the 40 minute contest. Florida added a number of pieces to their team from some smaller schools: most outstanding tourney player Mark Clayton formerly played for the tiny Iona Gaels. Another “strong as an ox” guard, A. Martin, came from Florida Atlantic Univ, and he also played in the Final Four last year. Surrounded by them was a 6’10” sophomore from Nigeria, by way of Washington State. W. Richard, a senior from Belmont University, was a starting guard. One of their backup centers transferred in from Marshall Univ.

There’s a lot of complaining about the transfer portal due to the amount of players in it. I totally get that, it’s excessive and the timing of opening the portal during the NCAA tourney are both valid. However, in our family, we have a belief in “betting on yourself” and five of the players who played for Florida last night did indeed bet on themselves. They were under recruited, went to smaller schools, developed and got better…and transferred. They came together under a new, young coach, on a sunny Florida campus in Gainesville, trained hard, molded together, and won on college’s biggest stage. Instead of complaining about the portal in college sports or that there’s “no talent in the workplace”, challenge yourself to go out and embrace the talent that is out there. It’s there, and so many positives are in the portal. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to bring together and lead talent who know your vision and embrace it, know their well-defined role, and then allow them to soar!

April 8th Coaching Tip: Three S’s.

Coached a group of new advisors, who are making 25 to 35 outbound calls per day to leads from one part of the enterprise to another, i.e. they are already clients. These new advisors were in a bit of a lull and needed a bit of a pick-me-up session. After introductions of these four advisors and myself, they shared what are they most proud of. Then we discussed what are they struggling with and what’s creating the lull. After hearing their examples, we dug in alot more and they identified that they couldn’t get people to make a decision. Delays by the clients were their “competition”. Another problem is that few of their calls are being answered, so they feel like they are just leaving voicemails.

We practiced what they are saying (script) to the clients and how they are leaving voicemails. I then asked them about their timing: when are they making these calls and leaving voicemails. After some practice, we landed on the 3 S’s: slow the script down a lil bit and do it with a smile. Yes, Slow down, personalize the Script just a bit, and have the client feel your Smile thru the phone or voice message.

April 9th Coaching Tip: Be Prepared.

Met with a team that I had never worked with before and it went great. Why? Because I really prepped BEFORE meeting with them. It actually felt like I knew there numbers as well as they did, and some of the key numbers, I knew well and they felt it. Because of that, our scheduled 30 minute “intro” meeting quickly turned into a very valuable 45 minute meeting, that was “informative, productive, foward looking, helpful” (their words). We were able to prioritize six items that they were willing to get to work on and we will have an accountability check up in 90 days.

After the meeting, the son of the founder stayed and asked it I had a few more minutes. He realized that we both grew up around horses, so he really wanted to talk about it. He thanked me for being prepped; he said he quickly realized and said to himself, “she’s no joke, she knows our numbers!” We went from not knowing one another to having an action plan and a common horse connection…all because of prep. Be prepared; it’s appreciated.

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365 Coaching Tips: 94th, 95th & 96th

April 4th Coaching Tip: Leadership Standards.

Had the opportunity to coach the lead advisor on a medium sized team today who is expecting others on his team to step up. He indicated that they just haven’t stepped up for years. I pushed him for examples, and he shared that as he travels, his advisor colleague is not coming into the office. Two of his assistants are not getting their registrations done, and those are about to expire. One of his assistants is calling in sick frequently. Another junior advisor is not giving the lead advisor an update on his weekly activity.

After listening to all of these examples, I asked him to share his leadership standards. He paused, and sarcastically said the word: accountability. And I proceeded to ask more about accountability and who can help him drive the accountability (because it is obviously not working with him). He is going to begin leveraging his new business manager/operations manager. His business manager already is setting standards: No means no. Yes means yes. She is explaining the difference to the team members, holding one on one’s, setting up smaller team meetings, tracking key metrics in her first 30 days, and beginning to deploy simple leadership standards. Have standards, and as a leader, implement them.

April 5th Coaching Tip: Go See It.

It was going to be 3.5 hours of driving, but I chose to go visit the farm that my grandfather bought over 50 years ago. Since I was already in the Tampa area for the Women’s Final Four, I had Saturday with a few hours of free time and called my mom and told her I was going up to Ocala to see it. Glad I did. I was able to connect quickly with the neighbor (to help keep the relationship positive and reciprocal). I texted with the tenant farmer. I walked the property and noticed a few things that need to be addressed, per our land lease. On the way back to Tampa, I got to have a quick chat with a friend who was nearby (those spontaneous and quick diet Coke conversations are worth it). I could have easily convinced myself NOT to go on this drive; but so glad I did. Warm weather and a convertible made the ride pleasant too, especially when the interstate got backed up and I took an alternate route thru the country…which took me by a locally owned farmstead that had an attractive farmstand. Of course, I had to buy that mixed berry pie, a big bag of oranges, two containers of blueberries, etc. because my friends and I were having ice cream sundaes and pie later that evening. As I returned to Tampa, my friends asked how my trip was. I pleasantly responded that I was so glad I went. It’s easy to say no, but “Just go see it!”

April 6th Coaching Tip: Momentum Changes.

UConn women’s basketball won its record setting 12th national championship this evening, beating South Carolina by 23 points, 82-59. Although UConn had been up by 15 points in the 3rd quarter, the UConn coach (Geno Auriemma) calmly and quickly called a timeout with 3:12 remaining, with UConn up 50-39. Geno sensed something, and it could have been that one of the SC players (MiLaysia Fulwiley) was subbed in and quickly made an impact with a rebound, made a shot, blocked a UConn shot, grabbed a steal, and had an assist for another teammate’s score. Geno was NOT going to let the momentum changing plays by this SC player; he was having no part of it, no way. He called the timeout to help slow the game down. I watched him closely. He didn’t even go into the huddle; he let the players talk. This timeout worked. UConn regained the momentum and was leading by 16 points at the 2:33 mark. In less than one minute, the UConn lead increased from 11 to 16 points. Momentum changes on the court and in your life. How are you taking quick timeouts to evaluate what is happening?