themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
Well, it’s the holiday season and time for a break before we start our new topic on Mastering Time. I’d really like to know your thoughts on this blog and where you think it can be improved. Send me an email at tpperformer@aol.com to let me know how helpful it’s been to you. Thanks and have a happy and safe holiday season. Go to www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com.
and keep those dreams alive.
PS – next blog is 1/10/2008. See you then.
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Volume III Part 5
themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way.
—Swahili proverb—
Your Dream Team
So who is on your team? Members can be teammates, parents, coaches, teachers, etc. Once you have your team, you need to build trust to keep it on solid ground but who can you trust?
Remember we said that different isn’t wrong—it’s just being different (TMDA Volume I Part 6). You will find that members on your team aren’t going to agree with everything you say and you need to understand this fact. Don’t confuse this with the need to have a common goal that you want to achieve as a team.
Trust is built on communication and when this goes well there are rarely problems. But when there’s a communication breakdown, team trust is compromised. This breakdown can come from differing priorities and preferences of individual members. As an example, you might want to shoot for the stars and see your team becoming state champions. Others may be happy just with winning the conference championship. You need to all be on the same page.
You also need to be open and honest with your teammates if you want to build trust so lying isn’t even close to being an option. Nothing will put a dagger directly into the heart of trust building more so than lying.
Learn each team member’s behavioral characteristics through the DiSC model we’ve talked so much about. It’s the greatest way to understand how your teammates think and react to situations.
Think of how many times your team has had a communication breakdown and what were the results. The key is to avoid these mishaps altogether and stay focused. The Million Dollar Athlete doesn’t make the same mistake twice.
Good To Great
Wanting to be great isn’t easy and it takes a great deal of work which is what I’m showing you in this blog. You can go from being good to being great, but you need to practice these lessons every day. Start by being a great teammate and others will follow along (TMDA Volume II Part6).
Set the example and show others how it’s done. They’ll start getting the message and once they do there will be no holding them back.
You see your purpose for your team is to become the catalyst that will make it happen.
Next Blog
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way.
—Swahili proverb—
Your Dream Team
So who is on your team? Members can be teammates, parents, coaches, teachers, etc. Once you have your team, you need to build trust to keep it on solid ground but who can you trust?
Remember we said that different isn’t wrong—it’s just being different (TMDA Volume I Part 6). You will find that members on your team aren’t going to agree with everything you say and you need to understand this fact. Don’t confuse this with the need to have a common goal that you want to achieve as a team.
Trust is built on communication and when this goes well there are rarely problems. But when there’s a communication breakdown, team trust is compromised. This breakdown can come from differing priorities and preferences of individual members. As an example, you might want to shoot for the stars and see your team becoming state champions. Others may be happy just with winning the conference championship. You need to all be on the same page.
You also need to be open and honest with your teammates if you want to build trust so lying isn’t even close to being an option. Nothing will put a dagger directly into the heart of trust building more so than lying.
Learn each team member’s behavioral characteristics through the DiSC model we’ve talked so much about. It’s the greatest way to understand how your teammates think and react to situations.
Think of how many times your team has had a communication breakdown and what were the results. The key is to avoid these mishaps altogether and stay focused. The Million Dollar Athlete doesn’t make the same mistake twice.
Good To Great
Wanting to be great isn’t easy and it takes a great deal of work which is what I’m showing you in this blog. You can go from being good to being great, but you need to practice these lessons every day. Start by being a great teammate and others will follow along (TMDA Volume II Part6).
Set the example and show others how it’s done. They’ll start getting the message and once they do there will be no holding them back.
You see your purpose for your team is to become the catalyst that will make it happen.
Next Blog
Mastering your time.
PS - If you want to succeed, you need to take the DiSC assessment.
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Volume III Part 4
themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.
—Babe Ruth—
Identity Crisis
One of the best ways to create team unity is to have an identity—something that reflects upon the team. When the summer Olympics were held in Barcelona, Spain in 1992, the U.S.A. basketball team consisted of the very best of the best. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and “Magic” Johnson were just a few of the talented players on that gold medal winning team.
The 1992 team became known as the “Dream Team” because of its great talent. The University of Michigan had its “Fab Five” also in 1992, the New York Yankees are called the “Bronx Bombers,” the Pittsburgh Steelers had the “steel curtain” defense in the seventies.
Get an identity for your team that will bond you closer together whether it’s offense, defense, or both. Once you gain this identity, you will have something that all of you can work toward—and that is being the best.
The Secret For Improvement
So how do you improve as a team? You would probably say by getting better in the way you play, and that would be correct. However, there is an even better alternative regarding how you improve as a team.
The first thing you want to do is take the DiSC assessment if you haven’t already. I know you’ve heard me say it over and over again, but it is a valuable tool if you are serious about becoming The Million Dollar Athlete. You need to understand your teammates and their behavior before you can hope to become successful. It helps to get all of you on the same page.
Next, you need to take constructive criticism about how you perform on the playing field. This comes from your coaches. If they don’t provide enough feedback for you, ask for it. Ask them how you can perform better at your position and what you need to do and then practice to improve. If all your teammates did this, the results would be simply amazing.
So make sure you take the DiSC assessment and then get that all important feedback from your coaches. Your team needs to look to get better by taking control. They just can’t hope to become better—they all need to take action and listen to where they need to improve. IMPROVE, IMPROVE, IMPROVE!
See you at the next state championship.
Next Blog
Who do you trust?
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
DiSC Assessment
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.
—Babe Ruth—
Identity Crisis
One of the best ways to create team unity is to have an identity—something that reflects upon the team. When the summer Olympics were held in Barcelona, Spain in 1992, the U.S.A. basketball team consisted of the very best of the best. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and “Magic” Johnson were just a few of the talented players on that gold medal winning team.
The 1992 team became known as the “Dream Team” because of its great talent. The University of Michigan had its “Fab Five” also in 1992, the New York Yankees are called the “Bronx Bombers,” the Pittsburgh Steelers had the “steel curtain” defense in the seventies.
Get an identity for your team that will bond you closer together whether it’s offense, defense, or both. Once you gain this identity, you will have something that all of you can work toward—and that is being the best.
The Secret For Improvement
So how do you improve as a team? You would probably say by getting better in the way you play, and that would be correct. However, there is an even better alternative regarding how you improve as a team.
The first thing you want to do is take the DiSC assessment if you haven’t already. I know you’ve heard me say it over and over again, but it is a valuable tool if you are serious about becoming The Million Dollar Athlete. You need to understand your teammates and their behavior before you can hope to become successful. It helps to get all of you on the same page.
Next, you need to take constructive criticism about how you perform on the playing field. This comes from your coaches. If they don’t provide enough feedback for you, ask for it. Ask them how you can perform better at your position and what you need to do and then practice to improve. If all your teammates did this, the results would be simply amazing.
So make sure you take the DiSC assessment and then get that all important feedback from your coaches. Your team needs to look to get better by taking control. They just can’t hope to become better—they all need to take action and listen to where they need to improve. IMPROVE, IMPROVE, IMPROVE!
See you at the next state championship.
Next Blog
Who do you trust?
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
DiSC Assessment
Monday, December 3, 2007
Volume III Part 3
themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The strength of the team is each individual member...the strength of each member is the team.
—Coach Phil Jackson Chicago Bulls—
The Trust Factor
People often ask me how do you build trust? This isn’t an easy thing to answer. First, you need to be able to communicate well with others and this is where the DiSC assessment tool comes in (TMDA Volume I Part 4).
The ability to get along with others is an important skill set and leads to strong interpersonal relationships. Remember, the DiSC assessment uncovers the individual strengths and weaknesses in your behavior. If you don’t create a strong relationship with your peers, you can’t hope to gain their trust.
Understand that your personality is an extension of your attitude. You tend to communicate your personality both verbally and nonverbally. This is why being positive is so important in winning. Values play an important role in the success of your team. If team members are on the same page and possess the same values (e.g. wanting to win the state championship), a sense of unity begins to develop—you begin to build a strong bond.
Once this unity develops, a sense of trust begins to take hold. A great deal of time and effort is needed to gain someone’s trust, but only a few seconds to lose it. Think about it—if a good friend lied to your face, would you be able to trust him or her again? Perhaps, but it would be difficult and you probably wouldn’t have the same trust level as before.
You may now feel betrayed and tend to be “on guard” when you are with this person. You see how quickly things can turn.
Values
Team values or a vision as to what the team wants to do together are important if you want to be a winner. If you are on a team now, what are your goals? Are the goals you have similar to the ones your teammates have? I hope so. Let your goals reach for the stars and don’t sell you or your teammates short. There is a state championship team every year—why can’t it be your school?
If you start in your freshman year on a team sport, your teammates will remain the same throughout your high school and/or college years. Communicate and become friends off the playing field as well as on. Trust them and they will trust you. This is how you get to be The Million Dollar Athlete.
Next Blog
Creating a team identity to win.
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The strength of the team is each individual member...the strength of each member is the team.
—Coach Phil Jackson Chicago Bulls—
The Trust Factor
People often ask me how do you build trust? This isn’t an easy thing to answer. First, you need to be able to communicate well with others and this is where the DiSC assessment tool comes in (TMDA Volume I Part 4).
The ability to get along with others is an important skill set and leads to strong interpersonal relationships. Remember, the DiSC assessment uncovers the individual strengths and weaknesses in your behavior. If you don’t create a strong relationship with your peers, you can’t hope to gain their trust.
Understand that your personality is an extension of your attitude. You tend to communicate your personality both verbally and nonverbally. This is why being positive is so important in winning. Values play an important role in the success of your team. If team members are on the same page and possess the same values (e.g. wanting to win the state championship), a sense of unity begins to develop—you begin to build a strong bond.
Once this unity develops, a sense of trust begins to take hold. A great deal of time and effort is needed to gain someone’s trust, but only a few seconds to lose it. Think about it—if a good friend lied to your face, would you be able to trust him or her again? Perhaps, but it would be difficult and you probably wouldn’t have the same trust level as before.
You may now feel betrayed and tend to be “on guard” when you are with this person. You see how quickly things can turn.
Values
Team values or a vision as to what the team wants to do together are important if you want to be a winner. If you are on a team now, what are your goals? Are the goals you have similar to the ones your teammates have? I hope so. Let your goals reach for the stars and don’t sell you or your teammates short. There is a state championship team every year—why can’t it be your school?
If you start in your freshman year on a team sport, your teammates will remain the same throughout your high school and/or college years. Communicate and become friends off the playing field as well as on. Trust them and they will trust you. This is how you get to be The Million Dollar Athlete.
Next Blog
Creating a team identity to win.
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Volume III Part 2
themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses.
—Napoleon Hill—
Commitment
Do you expect all airlines to be efficient 99% of the time? Let’s assume a certain airline flies 100 times a day which is about 36,500 flights a year at a 99.9% success rate. At .1%, about 36 flights wouldn’t be arriving to their destination annually.
How about your drinking water? What if it were unsafe one day out of a month? What about the mail? At 99.9%, it equates to 16,000 lost pieces of mail an hour! What if this was an answer to scholarship money to your favorite school. I think you’re beginning to get the point.
When you make a commitment to become a teammate, that commitment should be 100%. If there is just one bad apple in the bunch, it will spoil the entire bushel! Don’t let this happen to your team. Here are some preventive measures:
All your teammates should be willing to learn – fire those that aren’t because you just can’t afford a no-it-all.
Stay disciplined – listen to your coaches and you will win—no exceptions!
Once you make a commitment as a team, stay committed—99% just isn’t enough.
Be a wingman to your teammates.
Refuse to fail TOGETHER!
Get That MoJo Goin’
On any given night any team can beat another no matter who they are or where they are ranked in the polls. Every year upsets occur and no team is immune to falling to a lesser opponent. TO PREVENT THIS YOU NEED TO STAY FOCUSED AND FOLLOW THROUGH! Keep the team momentum flowing.
We talked about David and Goliath (TMDA Volume II Part 5) in a previous blog, and how attitude played an important role. Don’t just talk the talk you need to walk the walk if you want to win. If your team truly believes in itself, victory will follow.
Once you get into the business world, one of the keys to success will be your ability to work closely with your team and to build trust. Your daily preparation for game day equates to how you perform in life.
Next Blog
How to build trust.
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses.
—Napoleon Hill—
Commitment
Do you expect all airlines to be efficient 99% of the time? Let’s assume a certain airline flies 100 times a day which is about 36,500 flights a year at a 99.9% success rate. At .1%, about 36 flights wouldn’t be arriving to their destination annually.
How about your drinking water? What if it were unsafe one day out of a month? What about the mail? At 99.9%, it equates to 16,000 lost pieces of mail an hour! What if this was an answer to scholarship money to your favorite school. I think you’re beginning to get the point.
When you make a commitment to become a teammate, that commitment should be 100%. If there is just one bad apple in the bunch, it will spoil the entire bushel! Don’t let this happen to your team. Here are some preventive measures:
All your teammates should be willing to learn – fire those that aren’t because you just can’t afford a no-it-all.
Stay disciplined – listen to your coaches and you will win—no exceptions!
Once you make a commitment as a team, stay committed—99% just isn’t enough.
Be a wingman to your teammates.
Refuse to fail TOGETHER!
Get That MoJo Goin’
On any given night any team can beat another no matter who they are or where they are ranked in the polls. Every year upsets occur and no team is immune to falling to a lesser opponent. TO PREVENT THIS YOU NEED TO STAY FOCUSED AND FOLLOW THROUGH! Keep the team momentum flowing.
We talked about David and Goliath (TMDA Volume II Part 5) in a previous blog, and how attitude played an important role. Don’t just talk the talk you need to walk the walk if you want to win. If your team truly believes in itself, victory will follow.
Once you get into the business world, one of the keys to success will be your ability to work closely with your team and to build trust. Your daily preparation for game day equates to how you perform in life.
Next Blog
How to build trust.
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Volume III Part 1
themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.
—Vince Lombardi—
A Team In Conflict
When a team is winning it’s easy to get along, but what happens when a team starts to lose consistently? The team begins to go into conflict.
You need to understand the mechanics of teamwork and the role each member of the team plays. Without this knowledge, a team will not be successful—it’s all about chemistry.
When I played football in high school many years ago, we went from a championship team one year to a team in crisis the next. As a junior, our football team was young and “a year away” from greatness. Well, we proved everyone wrong by going undefeated, becoming conference champions, and were ranked #3 of all high schools in the nation!
The following year was supposed to be “our year,” but it wasn’t. We argued with each other, we couldn’t even agree on a captain, and at times tempers flared. In short, we were a team in turmoil. We proved everyone wrong again, but in reverse. Oh, we won the conference championship, but lost three games that year.
This is a typical example of a team with great talent, but having a poor attitude (TMDA Vol. II Part 5). Why? Because we didn’t understand the meaning of teamwork and the role each of us played. That championship team produced because we had a captain that understood what it takes to win. He symbolized all the necessary qualities that a great leader should have and he led a tight knit team.
Team Sport Or Individual Sport?
When does a team sport become an individual sport? When a team plays like individuals. Everyone has a job to perform whether its on the field or off. A team sport means just that—A TEAM SPORT. I’d like to see how many yards a halfback could gain without a line blocking for him, or how many goals a forward can score in field hockey without being set up by teammates. The answer in each case is obviously very few if any at all.
We all want to win, but too many of us don’t know how to win. The Million Dollar Athlete is about to change all that.
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.
—Vince Lombardi—
A Team In Conflict
When a team is winning it’s easy to get along, but what happens when a team starts to lose consistently? The team begins to go into conflict.
You need to understand the mechanics of teamwork and the role each member of the team plays. Without this knowledge, a team will not be successful—it’s all about chemistry.
When I played football in high school many years ago, we went from a championship team one year to a team in crisis the next. As a junior, our football team was young and “a year away” from greatness. Well, we proved everyone wrong by going undefeated, becoming conference champions, and were ranked #3 of all high schools in the nation!
The following year was supposed to be “our year,” but it wasn’t. We argued with each other, we couldn’t even agree on a captain, and at times tempers flared. In short, we were a team in turmoil. We proved everyone wrong again, but in reverse. Oh, we won the conference championship, but lost three games that year.
This is a typical example of a team with great talent, but having a poor attitude (TMDA Vol. II Part 5). Why? Because we didn’t understand the meaning of teamwork and the role each of us played. That championship team produced because we had a captain that understood what it takes to win. He symbolized all the necessary qualities that a great leader should have and he led a tight knit team.
Team Sport Or Individual Sport?
When does a team sport become an individual sport? When a team plays like individuals. Everyone has a job to perform whether its on the field or off. A team sport means just that—A TEAM SPORT. I’d like to see how many yards a halfback could gain without a line blocking for him, or how many goals a forward can score in field hockey without being set up by teammates. The answer in each case is obviously very few if any at all.
We all want to win, but too many of us don’t know how to win. The Million Dollar Athlete is about to change all that.
Improve your game. Take the DiSC assessment to learn your strengths and weaknesses on the playing field. Send me an email at tpperformer@aol.com and I'll tell you how you can take it.
Next Blog
When is 99% not enough?
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
Monday, November 19, 2007
Volume II Part 18
themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
Time to Move On
We’ve covered a lot of ground over the last several months and there’s still more to come. Let’s look at some of the highlights:
We discussed self-awareness using the DiSC model and why understanding yourself is so important to your success
We learned that being different isn’t wrong—it’s just being different and that we need to respect the opinions of others
We talked about maintaining a positive attitude and that you can’t change what happened yesterday
We also discussed the sub-conscious mind and the power it has in influencing the way you think and act
You learned how to make every day a perfect day by practicing a positive attitude
We also discussed why following through is so important in building that positive attitude
In the “chicken and egg” theory, you learned why self-confidence needs to come first if you want to gain success
We discussed building trust and why it’s so important in your success
Finally, you learned how to focus on the task, how to control the outcome, which leads to winning in life
What’s Next?
So far we’ve discussed two Power Principles For Success—Self-Awareness and Attitude. Our third Power Principle involves Teamwork and how we can work together as a group to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is the third in my series of Six Power Principles For Success.
The goal of this program is to give you an unfair advantage over your competition. Learn and practice the Six Power Principles and you will gain more success than you can ever handle. Imagine scoring that winning goal, hitting that game winning home run, or scoring that winning touchdown. Nothing is impossible—follow these six principles and it can happen!
The remaining three power principles we will be discussing are Mastering Time, Leadership, and Success. I told you we have a lot to talk about. Becoming that Million Dollar Athlete isn’t easy so you need to focus—control—win.
I’m pumped up and ready to go so see you next time where we’ll begin a new and exciting journey that will build YOUR success.
ARE YOU BUILT TO SUCCEED? Take the DiSC assessment and find out!
Next Blog
“All for one and one for all.”
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"
Time to Move On
We’ve covered a lot of ground over the last several months and there’s still more to come. Let’s look at some of the highlights:
We discussed self-awareness using the DiSC model and why understanding yourself is so important to your success
We learned that being different isn’t wrong—it’s just being different and that we need to respect the opinions of others
We talked about maintaining a positive attitude and that you can’t change what happened yesterday
We also discussed the sub-conscious mind and the power it has in influencing the way you think and act
You learned how to make every day a perfect day by practicing a positive attitude
We also discussed why following through is so important in building that positive attitude
In the “chicken and egg” theory, you learned why self-confidence needs to come first if you want to gain success
We discussed building trust and why it’s so important in your success
Finally, you learned how to focus on the task, how to control the outcome, which leads to winning in life
What’s Next?
So far we’ve discussed two Power Principles For Success—Self-Awareness and Attitude. Our third Power Principle involves Teamwork and how we can work together as a group to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is the third in my series of Six Power Principles For Success.
The goal of this program is to give you an unfair advantage over your competition. Learn and practice the Six Power Principles and you will gain more success than you can ever handle. Imagine scoring that winning goal, hitting that game winning home run, or scoring that winning touchdown. Nothing is impossible—follow these six principles and it can happen!
The remaining three power principles we will be discussing are Mastering Time, Leadership, and Success. I told you we have a lot to talk about. Becoming that Million Dollar Athlete isn’t easy so you need to focus—control—win.
I’m pumped up and ready to go so see you next time where we’ll begin a new and exciting journey that will build YOUR success.
ARE YOU BUILT TO SUCCEED? Take the DiSC assessment and find out!
Next Blog
“All for one and one for all.”
Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com
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