THE FOUR CORNER OFFENSE

First Reaction/First Glance
In the 1970's and early 1980's the North Carolina Tar Heels developed and perfected the Four Corner Offense in college basketball. This technique was developed to stall the game against their opponent after a sizable lead was established in order to preserve the win.

At work do you find yourself in the stall mode when a daunting task is at hand? Let's go to the white board.


The Learning Process
There have been many times in my career that I have stalled my own progress by letting lingering tasks go uncompleted. I allow excuses like, not enough time, too time consuming, this is out of my comfort zone, or it just doesn’t motivate me.

I have found over the years that when I breakdown any assignment/task into smaller segments then the completion seems more achievable and less overwhelming.


Improvement for the Future
As challenging tasks are assigned to you here are some suggestions in helping you complete them:

Seek guidance and help from a fellow employee who has more knowledge and can provide valuable insight.

Write down the task and the segments and keep it in your view or add to your task list in Microsoft Outlook with reminders.

Give yourself goal dates to complete each segment and discipline yourself to meet them.

Present your information to a friend, co-worker, or family member for positive feedback.

GOOD LUCK AND REMEMBER TO TURN ON YOUR SHOT CLOCK SO YOU CAN WIN MORE GAMES!!!

HOW HIGH DOES YOUR FOUNTAIN SURGE?

First Reaction/First Glance
Water fountains are designed for entrances into hotels, offices, parks, etc. They are truly artists’ representations of their creativity and expression which provide us subtle and calming effects on our moods. In fact some fountains invite us to toss in coins and make a wish that will hopefully come true.

The Learning Process
When I look at various water fountains, I sometimes reflect on the many configurations, the heights they soar to, the ripples they create in the water, or the spray they shoot across the water pond. I then begin comparing them to special events in my life such as family birthdays, special accomplishments, being awarded a new job, and other special moments.

Improvement for the Future
Imagine for a moment that the surges or sprays from the fountains represent your mood swings during the day or even the week.

As you think about the times your fountain is surging or spraying at their highest levels, try to remember what events took place that caused your fountain pumps to churn at higher RPMs. Jot down those events and see if a pattern develops. If so, then try focusing or reflecting back on your secret recipe so that your fountain can perform at the highest levels more often.

Who knows - perhaps your fountain water may splash onto others causing their fountains to strut their stuff as well.

DO YOU OPERATE IN A TUNNEL?

First Reaction/First Glance
When you walk through the door at work each morning, do you follow the same routine? Are your thoughts focused on the daily tasks that you concentrate on day in and day out? How would it be if you thought about the following:

The Learning Process
A good friend and mentor to me wakes up each morning and thinks simple thoughts like what am I going to accomplish today? How will I make a difference in my world today? Or my favorite, what will I do today to take myself and the people I lead to new levels.

Improvement for the Future
Imagine as you begin each new day envisioning what could be awaiting you on the other side of the tunnel.

I am suggesting that each day you create a new and special tunnel vision.

Examples are:
What person in your life would you like to influence in a special way? What new and creative idea would you like to share with your boss or co-worker? Or perhaps who do you need to call that you haven't spoken to in a while?

There are many other thoughts and if you create your own list and practice it every day, I promise your Tunnel will be shorter and full of light.