Ch 19 Application and Action “Law of Timing”
Some of the most intriguing movies contain plots that are enhanced by using the Law of Timing. Murder mysteries, action-adventures, and other movies rely on a certain character learning about what another character has done at a certain time, having the primary characters at a certain place at a certain time, and watching the hero take just the right steps at the right time in order to succeed.
This week, watch one of your favorite action movies. Take notes on how the Law of Timing played a role in success and failure.
Movie Watched ___Okay I have to cheat on this one a little because I don’t really feel like I ever have time to watch an entire movie. I did however watch episodes of the Netflix original series, “Outerbanks” here and there over the last few weeks and will use this for my response. ________________________
1. Law of Timing moment: John B the protagonist, found himself on what he thought was a harmless fishing trip with the father of his girlfriend, Mr. Cameron, only for the father to reveal a little too much information about the sunken treasure they both were seeking (John didn’t know Mr.Cameron was a treasure hunter as well). John B quickly put the pieces together and realized Mr. Cameron knew information that John B thought only he and his own father knew. John B quickly realized Mr. Cameron had something to do with the disappearance of his father and lashed out in anger. The two engaged in a fight scene out in the middle of the ocean that seemed inescapable for John B. With his quick wit however, he appeared to lock himself in the bathroom of the boat/yacht, and while Mr. Cameron fumbled around trying to break the lock or break down the door, John B escaped out of a small window in the ceiling, and began lowering a jet ski (convenient I know) off the deck of the ship and into the water. Mr. Cameron realized his mistake and ran up to the deck at just the moment John B hit the accelerator and sped off back towards land.
2. What would have happened if the character had timed things differently? It was of utmost importance that John B noted the potential danger Mr. Cameron presented him, however, choosing to call him out while alone in the middle of the ocean, just seemed like really poor timing. Withholding his emotions despite this shocking discovery, may have prevented from having to engage in a full on fight with no witnesses, against an incredibly fit for his age 45 year old man.
Ch 20 Application and Action: “Law of Explosive Growth”
Motivation is a key factor in developing momentum. The first step toward building motivation is removing demotivating elements within the organization.
- In which stage of the leadership development process do you currently find yourself? Explain.
Stage 1: Developing yourself
Stage 2: Developing your team: I believe that I am somewhere in between these two stages.
Stage 3: Developing leaders
To validate your answer, cite specific actions you have taken to develop yourself; to develop a team; and to help specific individuals improve their leadership ability. (When applicable).
I am constantly developing myself as a person and a baseball player. I have completely bought into the putting in the sweat equity, and being a student of the game enough to take ownership of my process, and be the best player I possibly can be. To develop my team I share my knowledge of the swing that I have accrued through years of personal development. Players know they can talk to me about anything hitting related, and in many cases I invite players along with me to partake in our development together. I believe the best environment for growth is alongside people who want to grow just as badly as you do. I try to carefully select the people who I believe match my level of desire for success, and we work to develop eachother.
The below assessment is used to identify a potential leader that can be developed. However, I want you to use this assessment to evaluate yourself as a potential leader that can be developed. Work through this honestly. Some are 0/1 because you just don’t have the opportunity or experience yet. Others may be in the 3/4 range.
0 = Never 1= Seldom 2 = Sometimes 3 = Usually 4 = Always
1. The person has influence. 0 3
2. The person has self-discipline. 3
3. The person has a good track record 3
4. The person has strong people skills. 3
5. The person does not accept the status quo. 2
6. The person has the ability to solve problems. 2
7. The person sees the big picture. 3
8. The person has the ability to handle stress. 2
9. The person displays a positive spirit. 2
10. The person understands people. 3
11. The person is free of personal problems. 3
12. The person is willing to take responsibility. 2
13. The person is free from anger. 2
14. The person is willing to make changes. 3
15. The person has integrity. 3
16. The person has a strong sense of self. 3
17. The person has the ability to see what has to be done next. 2
18. The person is accepted as a leader by others. 3
19. The person has the ability and desire to keep learning. 4
20. The person has a manner that draws people. 3
21. The person has a good self-image. 3
22. The person has a willingness to serve others. 3
23. The person has the ability to develop other leaders. 2
24. The person has the ability to bounce back when problems arise. 2
25. The person takes initiative. 2
TOTAL POINTS __64_ _
When assessing a potential leader, pay more attention to the quality of the person as addressed by the characteristics than to the specific score. Since leaders grade differently, scores vary.
This is a general grading scale:
90-100 Great leader
80-89 Good leader
70-79 Emerging leader
60-69 Bursting with potential
Below 60 Needs growth but may not be ready to be mentored as a leader
Discuss your score and why you feel it is accurate or inaccurate.
I believe most of my 2’s came from dealing with stress, anger, and problem solving. I find that I have a tendency to let things overwhelm me and affect my decision making at times of high stress mixed with high responsibility. I believe there aren’t really too many way to train or practice this skill, as it can mostly be developed through experience and maturation. I just think I’m the kind of person who in some circumstances needs to learn the hard way through making mistakes, in order to change myself for the better. I think the score is fairly accurate except I was probably a little bit too modest and gave myself some 3’s where I maybe should have given myself 4’s. I see myself as a high 60’s maybe a 70, as I believe I’m an emerging leader.
Ch 21 Application and Action: “Law of Legacy”
What do you want your legacy to be? If you are early in your leadership journey, I wouldn’t expect you to have the definitive answer to that question yet. However, I still think there is value in your considering what you want your life to stand for. Take some time to consider the big picture concerning why you lead. This will not be a quick process. The idea of legacy is closely related to a person’s sense of purpose in life. Why are you here? What gifts and skills do you possess that relate to your highest potential as a human being? What unique opportunities do you possess based on your personal circumstances and what’s happening in the world around you? Who might you be able to impact and what might you be able to accomplish as a leader in your lifetime?
1. So, what do you want your legacy to be? This truly is a difficult question. I suppose that if I do get into coaching and potentially dive into that career path, I want to be remembered as someone who helped mold young men into great ball players, and even better people. I would want to be remembered for the impacts I’ve had on the lives of the players I coach, before my win loss record. I believe I possess an ability to motivate and inspire. I’ve seen first hand what it looks like when coaches are better at tearing guys down than building them up. I believe my sense of purpose is to flip this script and help young men truly gain all of the valuable life lessons the game of baseball has to teach you. A large part of me wants to be specifically a hitting coach, who can help kids reach their full potential. I believe I’ve been my own best coach in a lot of ways, consistently finding ways to strive towards my own potential, and I believe I could positively impact a lot of ball players this way.
2. Based on the ideas you developed concerning the legacy you want to leave, what must you change in the way you conduct yourself so that you live that legacy? Write them out. Your list may include behavioral changes, character development, education, working methods, relationship-building style, and so on. Only by changing the way you live will you be able to create the legacy you want to leave. In the coaching world, it seems as though who you know will in a lot of cases get you farther than what you know. That being said I believe putting a greater emphasis on relationship building is a highly important character change I would make to accomplish the legacy of one day being an impactful coach. As a third baseman I actually find myself in an advantageous position in regards to having contact with the coaches of the teams I play. A lot of times the third base coach is the head coach or a high ranking assistant coach. Making small positive impressions on coaches going forward would only assist me in my name recognition applying for jobs in the future. This also goes for just thanking opposing coaches in the right circumstances, and playing the game the right way so that positive impressions of me are circulating throughout the coaching world of high school baseball. I have certain connections with high school coaches of opposing teams who I got to know well after playing against them for years. Some of which have reached out and given me their phone numbers in case I need to utilize that connection somehow in some way over time. The same goes obviously even for my own coaches. If I’m able to prove my value to them, then their whole world of connections and opportunities could potentially open up to me as well. I believe the ways I would change myself would be by creating greater emphasis on relationship building and carrying myself as a “class act,” at all times. Being competitive is always a plus, but doing things the right way so as to represent myself positively to those observing me is of vital importance to potential future connections within baseball.
3. People invest in what they believe in. And if you are just half-hearted about the organization/career/major/vision you work for or have, it is unlikely that you will invest in that organization/career/major/vision’s future. Spend at least an hour today brainstorming and recording your thoughts about why you do what you do (or why you want to do what you do). At the end of this time, you may realize that you need to move into something that will better suit your gifts, talents, and the organization that you are willing to invest in. You may realize that you are right where you need to be, and that you should be investing in the vision and future of this organization. Or you may see how your current position is just a stepping-stone on your journey, but you can still invest by improving yourself.
Some questions to get you started:
- What does my organization/career/major/ provide for the community?
- Why is my organization/career/major/ important?
- The job that I think I would most enjoy would be:
- I do what I do because:
- When all is said and done, I want my impact to be:
My season so far has been an interesting one, in that it has made me think about my own journey many times. I’ve navigated my own adversity, but overall have had more positive days and weeks of performance than negative so far. The same cannot be said for the whole of our team however. Our win/loss record has put the Lancer baseball team in a familiar place at the bottom of the conference. The lack of overall success and in some cases even competitiveness of my team as a whole, has made me question if this team is the right place for me to take my talents, work ethic, and insatiable desire to win. At times I feel like there are only a select group of us that do everything in our power to develop our skills and give our team the best possible shot to win. The NCAA has passed a law to allow one time transfers for all D1 athletes without having to sit out as well. Which I can say for a fact has crossed the mind of some players who truly desire to find themselves at a winning program. All of these things considered though, through much personal reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion that where I am, is exactly where I need to be. The opportunities that have been afforded to me at Longwood outweigh any sort of second thought of maybe i could at XYZ school, or in XYZ conference. The truth is I’m in a unique spot right now, being a starting player as a (covid) freshman. The opportunities I’ve had to develop and grow against division 1 competition are absolutely priceless, regardless of the teams overall win loss ratio. Do I wish we were more competitive? Absolutely. But would I trade the opportunities I’ve been given on this team, to be sitting on the bench while a junior or senior plays my position at a more “successful,” school? Absolutely not. I am so grateful for the chance I’ve been given to grow, and it’s made me realize that my true desire is to do my part in creating a winning culture, and a winning team, right where I am. If everyone on the team saw losing as something to run from, instead of something to embrace, evaluate, and overcome, then we will never turn things around. I realized I don’t want to be a part of the problem that wounds and further burdens a program that has been struggling for a few years now. I want to be a part of the change that rebrands the Lancers as a competitive force in the Big South. This period of reflection allowed me to realize that being a part of a winning Lancer’s team, would mean so much more to me than trying to jump ship and latch onto another winning team. I hope the majority of my teammates feel the same way, as we will need 100% buy in to be able to create some success. Players with one foot already out the door are cancer to a developing program.