Dr John Abraham

John Abraham’s Book now on Barnes and Noble!

2010-10-29T08:57:00.001-07:00

What Can a Little Coach Bring to Your Boardroom? . . .Plenty!

Dr. John E. Abraham, author of the book “From Ballpark to Boardroom: Lessons for CEOs from a Little League Coach”, is currently represented by Casting New Lives (www.castingnewlives.com). His new book is now available for download at http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=Ballpark+to+boardroom for only $9.99.

He has been called a maverick and speaks from his collected experiences as a boy growing up in an ethnic neighborhood, an academician, a governmental official, a local elected official, and as a parent. The common story theme focuses on his youth baseball coaching career experiences with an application to solving problems in the big kid world. For fifteen years he coached his sons’ little league teams. The lessons learned from observing the little kids playing a game enabled him to successfully interact with the big kids that he supervised at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Via his speaking engagements, John melds his two worlds in an insightful look at the common problems many executives face. His talks include humorous, inspiring, thought provoking and no-nonsense methods of developing and retaining talent and breaking down the corporate bridges to nowhere. John has personally gone from the ballpark, to the boardroom, to becoming one the most sought after speakers and corporate consultants on eliminating roadblocks to performance.

John is the perfect inspirational speaker for the corporate world. For information on booking Dr. Abraham or to view a sampling of his speaking topics, contact www.castingnewlives.com.

Rob Lowe/ Brinka Rauh

Casting New Lives

32208 Cedar Crest Ct.

Temecula, CA 92592

Ph 858-375-5751

www.castingnewlives.com

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What Do You Say to those not selected?

2010-04-08T18:02:00.001-07:00

In the ballpark, tryouts are always a mixed blessing. The players are a year older and the season is always filled with promise. When selecting teams I looked “for the right players not necessarily the best players.” There were always more players trying out than there were spots on the team.

Some managers took the easy way out. After tryouts, they posted a list with the players that made the team and were generally unavailable to discuss their selection process or give feedback to the unsuccessful players and their parents. All too often players and their parents would get the wrong idea and go away frustrated and angry.

It is difficult to look a child in the eye and discuss why he wasn’t selected. A lot of the time it wasn’t because he wasn’t skilled. However it is a good exercise in preparing your thoughts and being specific on communicating their talents and what a player needed to do to be more competitive. On occasion we referred players to other coaches who were going through the same process.

In the boardroom personnel would send a number of applicants qualified for the position. After looking at all the applications we would interview five applicants for the job, make a selection, and notify personnel. The Personnel Department then sends a letter to those that were not selected. Your hiring task is over and you can go back to the task of doing your job. Wrong! What do you say to the four not selected? You can’t take the easy way out as did some of my colleagues in the ball park. Why? Because there is a good possibility that the four highly productive and experienced employees would lament over not winning the promotion, feel devalued, and leave for another job. Now you suddenly have four positions to fill instead of that one.

It’s not easy being a manager but leadership is a choice. In a high tech world we need to brush up on our high touch skills and how to do that is for another blog.

When, and only when, your Player is in a “listening mode”

2010-03-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

You have a kid on your baseball team that bats 485. However, his stance is not textbook; he has a lousy grip, and swings at everything and anything. However, little Joey is batting 485. What is the only question a coach should ask him? Believe me there is one and only one question. When you learn and apply this question to your coaching you will be successful. The answer is, “Joey, is this how I spell your name on the lineup card?

Please trust me. This is not the time to change the kid. So when is a good time? Be patient. You will know when. Let me give you a hint; Little Joey or Big Joey for that matter will come to you. When will that be you ask?

In many cases Joey’s batting average will falter to 385, then 285, and then sinking past the Mendoza Line into low 200s and possibly lower. Joey will come to you. He may not come to you directly but his body language will tell you (Tell you it will be screaming at you…”Coach what am I doing wrong”). More importantly he will be in that rarest of modes, the listening mode. Managers need to be prepared for that moment and provide one (and only one) short, succinct observation along with a corresponding recommendation followed up by a genuine dose of encouragement. WARNING: Do not allow parents to come into the dugout during a game and work with their little darlings. AND the reason is the kid doesn’t want them there and if they do well, you made a bad selection in the draft. Learn and move on. This should be discussed in a parents meeting during the manager expectations part.

I am adamant about one recommendation and it must be the most important. Giving a player a list of things to do in the game is overwhelming and sends him faster down the slippery slope of despair. Moreover, it is difficult to turn a player around during a game. There will be plenty of time to work with Joey and his parents on that one thing in the batting cage

It’s OK to Lose without being a LOSER

2010-02-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I attended the Georgia High School Wrestling Championships held at the Gwinnett Civic Center, Duluth, Georgia. It was heralded as the largest high school wrestling venue in the United States. I like wrestling. It requires strength, quickness, endurance, intelligence, and mental toughness. The sport doesn’t build character as much as it reveals character.

At the end of the match each wrestler goes to the center of the match, shakes hands with their opponent, and the referee raises the hand of the winner. Then each wrestler goes to their opponent’s coaching staff, shakes their hand, and proceeds to their respective coaches for congratulations or commiserations. The coaches of the respective wrestlers shake hands as well.

After three full days of watching hundreds of matches I was disappointed at the level of sportsmanship. On completion of the match I saw some wrestlers look at each other, smile, and shake hands; some even hugged. However, in a large majority of matches the wrestlers shook hands without looking at their opponent. In addition, on a number of occasions there was overt unsportsmanlike behavior exhibited such as failure to shake hands, throwing headgear, and screaming obscenities.

It is difficult to look someone in the eye and acknowledge that today they prevailed. Exhibiting good behavior honors you, your teammates, your coaches, and your family. Moreover, people admire good behavior especially when your character is being tested. Acceptable standards of sportsmanship should be an integral part of learning the sport. It should be taught at an early age and reinforced by coaches, parents, and teammates with consequences for slip ups. If no action is taken then kids think their behavior is acceptable. It is not!

One would think that wrestlers competing in a grueling match had expended all their energy. Obviously there was enough in the tank to throw headgear and scream…well maybe all the wasted energy would have been better spent directed to their opponent just a few minutes earlier. Champions lose on occasion but they never lose the lesson.

So… what are you good at?

2010-02-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

There was always down time with the players whether it was waiting to take the field for practice, waiting before a game, or waiting with them to make sure they had a ride home. During those times I learned a lot about them, their parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters.

Looking back on those conversations something stuck with me. One of my favorite questions to them was “So, what are you good at”: They would answer without a missing a beat. I’m good at this and I am good at that they went on to say. Often some of the other players chimed in as well. “Coach John, he is also good at this and he also good at that. The conversations for the most part were always positive. It was a fun way to pass the time until their parents came for them. Over the course of the season without prodding they would volunteer what they weren’t good at. However, their self reported talents far outnumbered their works in progress. Moreover, their responses would help me plan practice strategies to overcome their works in progress. And when their so called works in progress were talents well that will always be the fun thing about coaching.

When it was time to interact with the big kids, the ones I supervised, downtown I asked them the same question. They would look at me as though an ambush was a coming. I would press on with the same question, “so what are you good at?’ They would stare at me, size me up, and when the silence was overwhelming and the staring was uncomfortable they responded rather defensively. “Well duh ….I’ m a physician, an engineer, a toxicologist, engineer, an administrative assistant”.

“Your parents must be very proud of you”, I would respond and then remind them that I was aware of their job title but wanted more information. As I expected, they were reluctant to share that with me. It became a very good interview question for prospective applicants as well as a good team building question.

A seven year old boy can talk about his talents until I am ready to shave again but a thirty something big kid cannot. Why? So,………………… can you tell me what you’re good at?

Every Action has a Consequence Even no Action

2010-02-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Coach John: Our coach plays favorites. He doesn’t substitute players and continues to reward his favorites even when they make mistakes and exhibit bad behavior like throwing bats, gloves, and screaming remarks to the umpire or the opposing team. We are somewhat reticent to approach him for fear of making it worse. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: Often the park’s board of directors implements standards for play. For example, no one player will sit out two innings until every child sits at least one inning. In addition, your coach should develop, implement, and in most cases adhere to standards. Board of Directors or their designee (i.e., league coordinator) should monitor standards. After all what you expect is what you should inspect.

For a manager developing and implementing standards is an important key to team unity. For example when I work with a pitcher he and his parents know walking three batters in any given inning will win him a seat on the bench. Moreover, the number of pitches a player throws is monitored as well because it is a game. The player is aware of how he will be objectively judged. The same standards can be given regarding errors, missed signs, and signals etc. Of course there will be extenuating circumstances but an explanation to the team and their fans is helpful.

Behavior issues are addressed at the first practice. I call this the “The meeting on the grass.” I invite the parents to listen to my expectations as well. “You can’t have respect for me or your coaches if you do not have respect for yourselves.” Please understand I love fire and passion but only when it is channeled into productive endeavors. Throwing a bat or screaming at an adult is not a productive endeavor and there has to be consequences of unwanted behavior. Believe it or not some folks need to be told that this is truly unwanted behavior. Therefore, this has to be addressed and the consequences understood before the children step on the field. In addition, opportunities for conflict resolution or rules of engagement between parent and coach need to be discussed and agreed upon as well.

How a manager should interact with a player is dependent on many factors (e.g., age, experience, and demeanor). Remember the key to minimizing inequities is the consistency of your actions in addition to showing love, discipline, and respect because They’re watching….

SHARED EXPECTATIONS

2010-02-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Involvement is a key factor for success but if you don’t define your success it leads to unmet expectations and frustration. This is a problem seen over and over in the ballpark and in the boardroom. The important question to ask is “Do we have consensus or at least an understanding of our collective expectations?”

One season from hell cured me of this malady. The season was not very enjoyable. In fact it was painful. The parent involvement piece was there but there was never a meeting to discuss shared expectations. That was my fault.

From then on I would hold meetings at the local library meeting room. It was a parents only meeting. I would arrive before hand and arrange the chairs in a semi circle. On each chair I put an agenda along with names of the players, their parents, and appropriate phone numbers. In addition, the agenda had a purpose: To meet each other, understand parent expectations and coach’s philosophy for the upcoming season, and to assign parent duties.

The first order of business was to have each parent introduce themselves, identify their player, and answer one question; “What would constitute a successful season for your child?” The overwhelming response was to have fun, make new friends, and learn the game. In all my years of coaching I can’t recall any parent saying they wanted to win a championship.

Then it was my turn to discuss my expectations and philosophy that included behavior by the children and the parents during the season as well as how we would address potential conflicts. Individual issues regarding health problems (i.e. diabetes, epilepsy, etc.), bad experiences, and other need to know stuff was discussed in private.

From time to time we had to remind each other why we, the parents and I, were here: for the children to have fun, make new friends, learn the game.
How I applied this lesson to the big kids is for the next blog.

Parent Involvement

2010-02-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

The lesson from the Ft Stewart military experience has stayed with me. The
MBA courses later reinforced this experience. Both experiences
emphasized subordinating yourself to the product. For the most part if the
product was good there would be success. The shift to interdependency was
difficult but over time better results ensued.

I applied my new found knowledge to the ballpark. I involved the parents mostly the dads. If a dad came to practice I would find him an assignment overseeing a drill whether it was throwing batting practice, hitting ground balls, warming up a pitcher, etc.

During games, there was a dad to coach first base, one for third base, one to keep order in the dugout, one to make sure every child got to play, and another to keep me sane. There was a dad to keep the scorebook and another to keep statistics on the boys. There were dads to line and rake the fields and to make sure the equipment (i.e. pitching machine) was in good working order.

The moms were somewhat reticent to get involved in the field activities. However, there was a role to keep them involved. There were moms to develop a snack schedule, order uniforms, and plan a team party. There were moms who worked the score board, fixed cuts, scrapes, etc., and developed a call schedule for practices and make up games. And yes, there was a mom to keep me abreast of all the drama during and after games.

After all if all the parents are involved in their assignments then there are fewer opportunities to complain about the manager. All these helped in achieving success but did I get the success I desired? Not completely because I forgot to do one important thing. AND that will be revealed at subsequent blog.

Ask Coach John: Problem with playing time

Coach John: Our coach plays favorites. He doesn’t substitute players and continues to reward his favorites even when they make mistakes and exhibit bad behavior like throwing bats, gloves, and screaming remarks to the umpire or the opposing team. We are somewhat reticent to approach him for fear of making it worse. Do you have any suggestions?

3 Lessons in Humility: It’s the person not the title

2010-01-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

I entered military service as a direct commissioned Army Captain. I had neither prior military experience nor ROTC experience, simply “book learning experience.” After 8 weeks of officer training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas I reported to Fort McPherson, GA. One of my first assignments was to do a hospital survey at Fort Stewart, Georgia. I was accompanied by an enlisted person from the Fort Stewart Hospital.

Something seemed odd about this solider. For one thing he was very accomplished. I learned at the “Army charm school” that a soldier’s resume was sewed on the uniform. There were airborne, ranger, and air assault patches on this soldier’s fatigues. Yet the accomplishments and the persona seemed incongruent. He appeared older than one would for his rank. Moreover, his BCGS, the black army issued glasses reminded me of my former professors (BCGs: short for “Birth Control Glasses”; you wear them and never have to worry about getting someone pregnant). I asked questions. His answers were precise, accurate, and provocative.

My curiosity was building and finally mid way through the first day I asked him about himself. With some prodding the soldier acquiesced. He referred to himself as a “Renaissance Man.” His goal was to become an Army physician. He received an undergraduate degree from Washington University, a medical degree from the University of Chicago, and a doctorate in neurobiology from Cal Tech where his advisor was a Nobel Prize winner. After completion of his studies he enlisted to understand first hand the soldier in the field. When his enlistment was up he would apply for a residency at one of the Army Medical Centers. .

I was dumbfounded staring at this man and wondering if I was being set up. It was all true. “Are your superiors aware of your credentials?” Yes sir, he said. I offered to assist in the ER when I am off duty.” The answer was very “by the book” but the lesson has stayed with me for almost 28 years.

How I applied this lesson to the ballpark is for the next installment.

The Solution!

2010-01-25T13:18:00.001-08:00

How I arrived at a Solution

Many years ago at the prodding of my wife, Corky, I managed my oldest son’s baseball team. They were a bunch of 7-8 year old “major leaguers in training.” Coincidentally, at the same time I became a supervisor at the Centers for Disease Control/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Never did I imagine that this ballpark would become my applied laboratory where I planned, observed, and evaluated my actions along with paying my civic rent.. I managed my oldest son and over time his younger brother’s baseball teams. Over the next 15 years I came to accept that the problems working with the little kids were not that different from working with the big kids downtown.

What happens to us when we become adults? We trade in our imagination and risk taking for body armor. We lose our connection with each other and, in turn, lose respect for each other and ourselves. We mistake excellence for mediocrity because we lost the lessons of childhood.

For over 15 years, I had the opportunity to teach children to play a game I love, baseball. The experience I observed from their cheers, tears, and fears reconnected me to my misplaced ideals and help me understand how to be successful with the big kids downtown.

Doing for others is the key to a quality work life.

Take the Right Journey Toward Managerial Leadership

2010-01-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

“I have two disturbing pieces of information for you,” said Dean George Packer Barry, of Yale’s School of Medicine, to a graduating class in 1939. “Half of what we taught you is not true. However, the most disconcerting piece is that we don’t know which half it is.”

I spent a considerable part of my professional career trying to find out about that other half. Over time the answer came to me, but it took me years to believe; Relationships plus risk-taking yields uncommon results. Could the answer be that simple? Yes, but the journey is an entirely different story.

Most technical disciplines did not encourage working together. Even if we had the foresight to master that skill, venturing outside was rare because there was much to learn in our chosen areas of expertise. Yet, in most cases, solving those applied problems required a different kind of thinking from what we were accustomed to.

Over my governmental career, I saw many opportunities for managers to lead but did not do so. They had the knowledge, skills and ability, but they lacked one critical factor: talent. Even if they did have the talent to lead, they passed. Instead, the problem would be managed until it was the manager’s time to climb the next rung of perceived success. Why take the unnecessary risk of being wrong and falling down the career ladder? There would be opportunities to lead when it was safer to do so.

Complaints about the lack of leadership during discussions with like-minded colleagues were frequent. They attended those expensive and certificate framing courses on leadership only to let the experience sit on the shelf somewhere. The behavior didn’t change, but they kept living the illusion of success because of the seat they occupied and their accoutrements on the wall.

Coach John encourages any or all comments to this and other blogs to follow