September 3 , 2007
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Greetings!
In This Newsletter:
The Secret to Winning
Make the Most of Today - A Positive Moment with Jon Gordon
Turn Negativity into Positive Achievement
Invite others on Your Bus!
In the News
The Secret to Winning
This past Friday, Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio shocked the sports world by announcing that they were releasing Byron Leftwich, their starting quarterback, and replacing him with David Garrard. Coach Del Rio stated that he not only thought Garrard was the better quarterback but that he also brought more “positive energy” to the position and team. He said, “positive energy is something we covet.”
Del Rio, like all great leaders and coaches knows an important secret. If you want to win, ironically, you don’t focus on winning. You focus on the positive energy and attitude and development of your people and team.
John Wooden, the legendary UCLA Basketball Coach, never focused on winning. He focused on developing his players. He focused on improving their fundamentals, skills, character and team work. He focused on people instead of outcomes and as a result he won….a lot.
Of course all successful people and teams have a goal to win. But winning is just a goal and not the focus. Winning is the byproduct of great effort, leadership, coaching, teamwork and positive energy. And just as you can win in sports you can win at work and life by knowing and living this secret.
My friend Skip Tague told me a story about coaching his daughter’s basketball team. In the beginning of the year they were like the “Bad News Bears” of basketball. They were blown out each game and the girls were dejected. So instead of having the girls focus on the points on the scoreboard Skip devised a different point system. He gave the girls points every time they took a shot, or made a great pass, or got a rebound or played good defense. The girls grew more and more excited about this and over time focused more on how many points they could generate individually and collectively with the new point system rather than the scoreboard. “And then a funny thing happened,” Skip said. The girls started to dramatically improve because they were focused on improving their skills rather than the scoreboard—and they even won their last game. But the best part is that the following year Skip’s team was the best in the league.
Whether its football, basketball, work or life, winning doesn’t happen by focusing on the points on the scoreboard. It happens when we focus on the people, skills, positive energy and teamwork that generate the points.
Let us focus on these things, create a new scoring system and winning will come easy.
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Sending Positive Energy Your Way!
- Jon
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Recent Newsletters:
Initiative
Eliminate Clutter Inside and Out
5 Ways to Become a Love Magnet
A Positive Moment with Jon Gordon
 This week's audio message:
Make the Most of Today!
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Turn Negativity into Positive Achievement
 The Energy Bus, Jon Gordon's international bestselling book, takes you on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals ten secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment—at work and at home.
Order Copies for Yourself
and Your Team!
www.TheEnergyBus.com
"…there is some great stuff in this book – good ideas, pithy quotes and
punchy one-liners which invite you to write them
down and recall them at the appropriate time."
(Edge, May 2007)
Invite Others on Your Bus!
New goal? New initiative? Making a change? Email a "Bus Ticket" to a co-worker, employee or friend and invite them to join the ride. (Several ticket styles to choose from. Printable tickets also available).
www.jongordon.com/energybusticketpage.html
In the News
FORBES.COM - Read Jon's article, "The Other Energy Crisis: How Negativity is Costing Companies Billions."
Colorado Biz Today - "Slow down and enjoy the ride" article.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - "Fighting negativity in office can make people more productive"
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