Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia talks to side judge Dave Meslow (118) against the Chicago ... [+] Bears during an NFL football game in Detroit, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. (AP Images/Rick Osentoski)

December NFL football is upon us as we hit the final four weeks of the regular season.

This has been a season marred by several lackluster teams. There are early several teams officially eliminated from the playoff picture. In less than a month from now, several coaches will pay for their teams failure.

The leagues infamous Black Monday is just four weeks from now. Several head coaches and their staffs are feeling the heat in early December. Here is a look at several coaches who are in danger of the getting fired in the next month. Of course, there is already an opening in Washington as coach Jay Gruden was fired earlier this season. Bill Callahan is finishing the season as the interim head coach. The coaches on the hot seat are presented in alphabetical order:

Jason Garrett: No ones seat is hotter at the moment. The Cowboys, who had Super Bowl aspirations with a deep roster (check out Cowboys daily fantasy options here), have lost three of the last four games. Dallas owner Jerry Jones has publicly criticized Garrett and his staff in recent weeks. The strong sense is that Garrett will be fired even if the Cowboys win a weak NFC East, especially if they dont make any noise in the playoffs. Jones want the big prize and after 10 seasons and two playoff wins, Garretts time is probably used. Jones, who will be going big-game hunting, will likely offer one of the best financial packages in the NFL to his new hire.

Freddie Kitchens: The Cleveland Browns coach may not be in major trouble, but there is no sure thing he wont go one-and-done with the Browns. Expectations were huge in Cleveland and the Browns are just 5-7 and underachieving on offense. Cleveland would still be a desirable job, so Kitchens may not get a second year if he doesnt finish strong.

Anthony Lynn: There are always a surprise or two every year of the firing cycle. So, a guy like Lynn or Chicagos Matt Nagy could be on the list. Neither should get fired, but the Chargers have lost eight games of seven points or less. That might fall on the coach, especially with the team needing to create excitement as it moves into its new Los Angeles digs as the second fiddle to the Rams. A splash coaching hire could be something ownership ponders. If so, Lynn would have a new job before lunch the day he gets fired.

Doug Marrone: Marrone may not be so far off Garrett when to comes to hot seats. It looks like heads are going to roll in Jacksonville and it would be a surprise, at this point, if Marrone isnt part of the changes.

Matt Patricia: The former New England defensive coordinators hot seat is warming in Detroit. The Lions are 3-8-1 this season and 9-18-1 overall under Patricia. A couple of things may be in Patricias favor, though. The Lions have led in every game, so they compete. Also, standout quarterback Matthew Stafford is injured. The Lions brass will likely think hard about this decision, but perhaps Patricia, who was considered a a strong hire in 2018, might get another year to prove he can win in the Motor City.

Dan Quinn: Quinn is another coach who seems to be sitting on an extremely warm seat. Many people around the league expected Falcons ownership to fire Quinn at the bye, but it never happened. The Falcons showed a little life, but they are 3-9. The Falcons havent been the same since blowing the Super Bowl almost three years ago to New England. Quinn is likely in his final days in Atlanta.

Ron Rivera: Rivera is another Super Bowl loser from the NFC South who is likely in trouble. The Panthers are sagging and new ownership may look to make a splash. Many coaches will have interest because of the presence of shiny toy, running back Christian McCaffrey.

Pat Shurmur: Shurmur has won just seven of 28 games in New York. There isnt a lot of growth happening. The Giants are young, but it wouldnt be a shock if a new coach gets a chance to rebuild the team.

Link:
8 NFL Coaches Who Are On The Hot Seat - Forbes

As all Tennessee fans know, the 2017 coaching search was a dumpster fire of epic proportions. Two years later, I thought it would be fun to look back at the key coaching names from that search to see where they stand now.

Remember, those that dont learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

The white whale of all Tennessee coaching searches. Heck its possible that Gruden was a candidate at Tennessee when Bill Battle got the job in 1970 (and you dont know for sure that he wasnt!). Gruden was contacted by Tennessee in 2017, but it never went anywhere because Gruden didnt want a college job. He wanted to return to the NFL and did so when he was re-hired by the Oakland Raiders the following January. After a brutal 4-12 season in 2018, Grudens Raiders are in the AFC playoff hunt at 6-6.

The Mississippi State head coach was John Curries top choice. Many Tennessee fans liked the idea, too. But Currie dragged his feet on an official interview. In that time, Florida was turned down by UCFs Scott Frost and former Oregon coach Chip Kelly. The Gators then turned to their former assistant coach, and Mullen jumped at the chance to return to Gainesville. Had Currie been more decisive and secured Mullens services shortly after firing Butch Jones, Mullen might be Tennessees head coach today. Over the past 2 years Florida has gone 21-5 with a top 10 finish in 2018 and what is likely another top 10 finish this season.

This is that name will always be remembered the most in that 2017 coaching search. Currie had him (mostly) signed, sealed and delivered, until a massive Vols fan protest caused the university to back away. A year later Schiano resigned as Ohio States defensive coordinator to take a similar job on Bill Belichicks staff at New England, but quit less than 2 months later. Last week, he accepted an offer to return to Rutgers as its head coach.

The well respected former Tennessee assistant nearly became the Vols head coach after Lane Kiffin resigned in 2010, but a deal couldnt be reached with athletics director Mike Hamilton. In 2017, Currie contacted Cutcliffe to see if he might be interested in returning to Knoxville and was turned down. Cutcliffe has been the head coach at Duke since 2009 and has done a terrific job at a school where its really difficult to win. Since 2012, the Blue Devils have gone 51-39 with a division title and 3 bowl victories. They have taken a step back the past 2 years, finishing a combined 13-12.

It seems like every Tennessee coaching search involves Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. He used Tennessee to get a raise in 2012 and the same exact thing happened in 2017. Gundy and Currie met in Dallas, and Gundy was reportedly offered a contract worth $7 million per year. But Gundy, who is an Oklahoma State alum and has spent most of his adult life in Stillwater, was never leaving that job. Gundy picked up a $675,000 salary bump. In 2018, Gundys Cowboys went 7-6 and they are 8-4 this year and heading to another bowl.

The Purdue head coach popped up on a lot of wish lists during that coaching cycle. Brohm was contacted by Tennessee after the Schiano fiasco, and there were media reports that Brohm accepted the job. However, that was not the case. Brohm chose to stay at Purdue. Since then the bloom has fallen. Purdue is 10-15 the past 2 seasons.

While it doesnt appear that the Iowa State head coach was ever a serious contender for the Tennessee job, his was a hot name at the end of the 2017 season. The Cyclones upset 2 top 5 opponents that year (Oklahoma, TCU). But he had a buyout of $9 million. UTs athletics department wasnt in position to pay that for a coach like Campbell. Iowa State is still good under Campbell. The Cyclones have gone a combined 15-10 the past 2 seasons.

The NC State head coach was offered the Tennessee job, and Vols fans protested that move as well. Doerens Wolfpack had gone 34-30 the previous 5 seasons, with a woeful 15-25 mark in the ACC. Currie flew to Raleigh, interviewed Doeren and expected him to take the job. Doeren might have gotten spooked by the Vols fan backlash, which wasnt at Schiano levels but was still loud. Or he might have just been using Tennessee to get a raise. If so, it worked. He got a contract extension worth $15 million over 5 years. The Wolfpack went 9-4 in 2018 but limped to a 4-8 finish this season, punctuated by a blowout loss at home to rival UNC.

With the coaching search now in complete free fall, Currie called a Hail Mary, and flew from Raleigh to California to interview the Washington State coach. Leach gave Currie every indication he was taking the Tennessee job. This was seen as a win by most Tennessee fans. Leachs eccentric nature, along with his up-tempo offensive style would have been very popular in Knoxville. But when Currie returned to Tennessee the morning after interviewing Leach, he was fired by UT chancellor Beverly Davenport, and the Leach pursuit ended immediately. Leachs Cougars won a school-record 11 games in 2018, and ended it ranked 10th in the nation. They werent as good this season, finishing 6-6, but theyre still heading to a bowl for the 5th consecutive year.

After Curries firing, Phillip Fulmer took over as AD and ran the coaching search, interviewing the Auburn defensive coordinator. Steele had Tennessee ties as a former player and assistant coach. However, his head coaching rsum was a mess, going 9-36 at Baylor from 1999-2002, including a 1-31 in Big 12 play. Those numbers would have made it tough for Fulmer to justify the hire. Steele is still the DC at Auburn and had 3 of his players taken in the 2019 NFL Draft with more to follow this April.

Fulmer also interviewed the Georgia defensive coordinator during this coaching search. Tucker, who helped turn Georgia into a championship-level defense, was going to get a head coaching job eventually and was the runner-up for the Tennessee job. In 2019 he became Colorados head coach. His Buffaloes went 5-7 this season.

The 2017 coaching search finally ended with Fulmers hiring of Pruitt, the Alabama defensive coordinator. This was his first head coaching job. Pruitts Vols upset nationally ranked Auburn and Kentucky in 2018, but they ran out of steam after that and finished 5-7. This season the team got off to a dreadful 1-4 start, including an embarrassing loss to Georgia State. But the Vols appear to be heading in the right direction, winning 6 of their past 7 to end the 2019 season, and earning their 1st bowl game berth since 2016.

Originally posted here:
The updated 2017 Tennessee coaching search report card - Saturday Down South

December 2, 2019

A great hitter is successful three out of ten times they attempt, says Rachel Martin, head coach of Corban Universitys softball program.

Failure is built into the game of softball in a way that differs from other sports. In softball, not only is failure highly likely, but its also highly personal. When youre hitting, Its just you against the pitcher, Rachel explains. For a moment, the spotlight is on you alone. And what you do impacts your entire team.

Rachels love of softball began as she grew up watching her father coach high school. She started playing when she was 10 years old, and began accompanying her dad to coaching clinics at the age of 14. Even after playing on Corbans team in college and later assistant coaching, Rachel couldnt have imagined shed one day step into the role of head coach.

When she was hired as the new head coach at Corban this past summer, Rachel immediately embraced her task of building on the teams tradition of excellence (which brought them all the way to the final game of the NAIA Softball World Series in 2017).

One of Rachels highest priorities in her new role is to develop her team into a group of excellent women who trust each other completely, both on and off the field.

No matter how skilled an individual player is, If an individual on a team doesnt trust wholeheartedly the person standing next to them or behind themif a team member doesnt believe in the teams goals and is more self-motivated than team-motivatedthen a teams not going to be successful. But, Rachel says, When a team believes in a common goal and has a common thread running through them, and when a team trusts one another and loves each other unconditionally, theyre unstoppable.

We are not just another teamwe are a family of young ladies who absolutely love the Lord and His plan for us. We are all here for a reason, here because we were called to this team. Sarah Probasco, senior, pitcher.

This past semester, Rachel has focused on helping her athletes build lifelong bonds both on and off the field as they develop trust, dependability, and integrity.

For example, Rachel says, We dont do anything softball on Fridays in the fall. We give up that day of practice to work on getting to know each other on a deeper level. From silly activities like lip-synching competitions to team outings to the pumpkin patch or even an intensive day at the Salem Ropes Course, each activity is designed to help team members bond, get to know each other, and learn to trust one another.

In addition to fun activities, the women spend time serving together. One weekend each year, they travel to Washington Family Ranch in Central Oregon, where they work at a middle school Young Life camp. From serving meals to cleaning up to enjoying a family-style dinner with campers, the athletes get an opportunity to unplug from technology and share the love of Christ through simple acts of service.

Students here dont just learn about Jesus and sit in our dorm rooms; we go out into the world and represent Jesus through our interactions and relationships with one another, says Kaycee Arase, sophomore, utility.

The team also bonds through spiritual growth, as they choose one chapel to attend together each week and participate in team Bible studies and devotions through a Bible app. This last one was a 31-day Bible study about being all-in, says Rachel. She particularly loves reading the womens responses to each days prompts, seeing them make connections between Scripture and their own lives.

The young women also have the opportunity to serve together through fundraising initiatives. We ask people who work hard for their money to donate toward our program, says Rachel, so in response, were going to work toward our goals as well. This year, the women raised nearly 50% of their fundraising goal themselves as they worked safety management for football games at Oregon State University.

Weve done alcohol monitoring, field managementmaking sure only people with the right credentials are on the field, explains Rachel. One of the highlights of the season was hearing compliments from the staff. The event staff told Rachel, Your girls are so amazing. They go above and beyond. Theyre attentive to detail. They added that her athletes had the best conduct theyd seen from a guest safety management team in four years. These kinds of compliments point to more than just the work ethic of the athletes themselves. They point to the values Rachel is fostering in her team as she helps them function as members of the Body of Christ.

Never has this unity been more apparent than when one of the team members learned her mother had cancer and would have to undergo surgery. She asked her teammates to pray for her, sharing that she couldnt afford to fly home because of the expensive medical bills.

Almost immediately, Rachel began receiving calls from the other women on the team, asking if they could contribute money to her flight. They got the word out to their families and friends, and In less than four hours, we were able to come together and pay for her flight and her transportation to and from the airport and her home, says Rachel. The women who couldnt afford to contribute financially were fierce prayer warriors throughout the process. It was really cool to see the team understand that softball isnt everything, that the relationships were building are what were going to carry for life.

Corban softball is a family, says Taylor Beasley, sophomore, infield. Not only is every girl on the team a sister, but when anything happens in your life, you know you have 20+ girls who will drop everything to be there. We are a fellowship of girls who use our God-given talents to glorify Christ in all aspects on and off the field.

When asked how the team is playing so far this year, Rachel says, Theyre on fire. She describes how, even during pre-season, they won all five games against local junior colleges. When matched up with Oregon State University in a pre-season game, they stayed ahead for the first five out of ten innings. It takes a measure of humility and class to compete against the same school the women serve as part of their fundraising initiative, but the women stepped up to the plate without hesitation and held their own against the D1 school.

Their ability to put themselves on the back burner and put the team first is huge, says Rachel. We hold a larger roster, so not every girl gets to be the person making the throw or having the hit. But they understand there are so many more roles than just the nine on the field that lead to the victory.

She gives the example of an athlete putting in the extra work during practice and challenging another teammate to join her. Perhaps only one of the two women will start in the next game, but the success belongs to both of them, because they challenged one another to improve.

Our team is a family, says Kaylee Buhrkuhl, senior, infield/outfield. We hold each other accountable, push each other to our full potential, strive for excellence, and strive to show Christs love and truth every day.

Its amazing to see the women buying into a different culture, Rachel says, because thats not typical. The typical culture would elevate personal success and glory, with each athlete striving to become the face of the program. But this isnt the case on Corbans softball team. Rather than striving to be the face of the program, Our athletes are the heart of the program, says Rachel. Thats what matters.

Its been an honor and a pleasure to wear the uniform these last three years, and I look forward to one last season. Go Warriors! Kasie Kloempken, senior, third base

This article is part of a series of stories featuring Gods wonderful work happening at Corban University, as well as an opportunity to give to student scholarships. Thank you for prayerfully considering a gift to make a difference in a students life, as well as the world!

More here:
The Heart of the Program: Rachel Martin Shapes Corban Softball Team for Success, On and Off the Field - Corban University

The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Mike Babcock recently.

As we start the holiday season, here are the always festive Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of sports:

Mike Brown had no illusions about his place in the NHL.

He was, at best, a marginal player whose principal value was in his size 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and his ability to fight. Those, er, attributes got him selected in the first round of the 1997 draft by Florida. But Brown would play just 34 NHL games over seven pro seasons, including 16 with the Canucks who acquired him in the Pavel Bure trade with the Panthers during the 1998-99 season.

I feel fortunate to have played, says Brown, a Vancouver kid whos now a sales manager for a car dealership. Quite frankly, I wouldnt change much about any of it.

So keep that in mind as the following story is related. In 2002, Brown was claimed on waivers by Anaheim where Mike Babcock was the head coach. This is how Brown describes his first meeting with Babcock: I dont want you on our team. We dont need you. The only reason youre here is Bryan Murray (then the Ducks general manager) drafted you in Florida.

Subsequent events have since suggested that wasnt exactly out-of-character for Babcock.

In the last week or so, a heated debate has erupted in the hockey world over what constitutes acceptable behaviour for a head coach.

Bill Peters aside, its a tricky one. Incidents that occurred 20, 30, 40 years ago are being viewed through the lens of 2019, and attitudes have changed. For most of the games history, the coach was an all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful despot who was free to utilize any method short of common assault to motivate his team.

Come to think of it, that one was used as well. Lets just say all that is now under review.

Coaching, in the pro ranks at least, requires an edge that makes some uncomfortable. The coach has to be demanding. He or she has to be critical. He or she has to use a variety of techniques to reach their players.

But theres also a line that cant be crossed. Coaches can poke and prod in an effort to bring out the best in their players or team but once they belittle, once they demean, once they dehumanize, theyve crossed that line.

Maybe that line didnt exist all those years ago and we dont have the time or space to recount all the stories I heard covering the WHL through the 1980s. But it exists now. Sports doesnt always evolve in lockstep with the times. In some ways, they can be ahead of societal norms. In others, they can lag behind.

But this is one of those cases where hockey needed to take a long, hard look at itself. The change had started long before this week, but it appears recent events have accelerated that process.

At least you hope thats the case. Coaching should be an honourable profession practised by honourable men and women. It comes with great power, but with that power comes a greater responsibility. All coaches would do well to remember that.

Zack Kassian of the Edmonton Oilers battles against Jordie Benn of the Canucks in October. Codie McLachlan / Getty Images

If you watched Zack Kassian during his 171 games as a Canuck, you knew there was a player there somewhere. It just didnt seem the hockey world would ever see that player. Bent on self-destruction, Kassian was on a ruinous path that could have taken him a hundred different places, none of them good, when he turned his life around.

Now, five years after he was dumped by the Canucks, Kassian is the player he always thought he could be. More importantly, at 28, hes become the man he had hoped to be.

I was in a place where I didnt know if Id ever play again, Kassian says of his well-publicized battle with substance abuse. When you think youre never going to play in the NHL, you make a conscious decision to turn your life around. You dont take anything for granted after something is close to being taken away from you.

Saturday night in Edmonton Kassian scored his ninth goal of the season. He missed Sundays rematch in Vancouver with a back injury, but, playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, hes on pace to score 30 this season. Nice story that.

Not sure if Ive ever seen Bo Horvat play a more complete game than he did Saturday in Edmonton.

Rashaad Penny of the Seahawks runs the ball for touchdown in the fourth quarter in a win against the Eagles. Elsa / Getty Images

Couple of things to consider as the Seahawks prepare for their critical Monday matchup with the Vikings. In the Pete Carroll era, theyre 9-2 on Monday nights and 28-5-1 in prime time, including a ridiculous 18-2 at home. Since 2012, Russell Wilsons first year as the starting quarterback, theyre also 23-9 in December.

After the Monday-nighter, the Seahawks have four games left on their schedule: at Los Angeles, at Carolina, then home to Arizona and San Francisco. If they get past the Vikings, they take control of the NFC West, and the top seed in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs isnt out of the question.

At that point, the Seahawks become a legitimate Super Bowl team.

Canucks tough guys Kevin Bieksa (left) and Gino Odjick exchange greetings before a game against the Edmonton Oilers on April, 11, 2015 at Rogers Arena. Rich Lam / Getty Images

Finally, after spending 10 years interviewing Kevin Bieksa, its not really surprising hes taken to his TV gig in a big way. Smart, funny, irreverent and always confident, he could easily become the most popular commentator in the game if he commits to the tube full-time. As it is, listening to him tell the story about fighting Kassian in an elevator, or the reasons he punted Shane OBrien as a roommate, are TV gold.

Hope he stays with it. Plus, I want to live in a world where Bieksa is part of the media.

Visit link:
Willes's Musings: Coaching comes with great power, but with that power comes greater responsibility - Vancouver Sun

CALGARY There was a stretch, Rocky Thompson remembers, somewhere between 2003 and 05 when he was feeling it.

Skating well, racking up his usual pile of penalties in the American Hockey League playing for the Edmonton Oilers farm team, life was cruising along.

Or so he thought.

Geoff Ward, providing some tough love to a tough guy, respectfully, disagreed.

I remember him bringing me into his office and I thought I was playing good, Thompson said, chuckling as he recalled the conversation. He went over a segment that we would do at the time and he said: We need you to be better than this.

I was kind of like: I thought I was playing good. And it wasnt like he was mean to me, or anything. He thought I could do more. He told me what I needed to do. And it was good.

I had a great relationship with him I played hard for him. After that, I had even more respect for him because I was seeing things differently. He was just honest, and he did it in a different way.

As a former school teacher in Ontario, Ward honed his communication and listening skills and fine-tuned his ability to create caring, purposeful, empowering relationships between himself and his students. As a proud father of four Cody, Sawyer, Kylie, and Hannah the 57-year-old from Waterloo, Ont., is patient and kind. That much is obvious.

As a hockey coach for the past 30 years, Wards impact has been significant at every stop along the way. It also helps paint a picture of a man deeply passionate about his craft, who has unintentionally been thrust into the spotlight behind the Calgary Flames bench as the interim head coach.

I loved playing for Wardy, continued Thompson, who is now the head coach of the AHLs Chicago Wolves. I thought we were motivated. We played hard, but it wasnt an old-school type of coaching. He was, really, what people are looking at nowadays with up-and-coming coaches. He was maybe a little bit ahead of his time, at that time, about 15 years ago now I think the world of him.

Wards story is colourful, not unlike others with unique outposts having shaped his experience. Moving. Times of uncertainty. Being hired. Fired. Winning. Losing.

Starting with the University of Waterloo of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union, Ward transitioned to running the bench for the Waterloo Siskins junior B outfit, then made the jump to the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara Falls Thunder, Kitchener Rangers, and Guelph Storm.

There was a brief foray into the ECHL, two stints in Germany sandwiched around seven years as an assistant with the Boston Bruins which included a Stanley Cup in 2011 several years in the American Hockey League and assistant/associate coaching gigs in New Jersey and, of course, Calgary.

Now, another unique situation presents itself. Ward has dutifully assumed the controls of a Flames organization facing turmoil in the wake of the racial allegations towards former head coach Bill Peters, and desperately needing guidance.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving called it turbulence.

Thats putting it mildly.

I can never say Ive been in this circumstance taking over a team, Ward had said on Friday when the news became official. But the reasoning doesnt matter. Whats important is what you do once the moment happens and you need to step in.

A half hour after Treliving nearly broke down in tears, explaining how difficult the situation has been on this group, Ward stepped in and switched gears.

And turned up the tunes.

At Fridays practice, Rasmus Anderssons music selection of Elton Johns Tiny Dancer, Queens Radio Ga Ga, and Run DMCs Its Tricky had everyone smiling.

Ward explained the importance of normalcy and simplicity for his players, along with the need to insulate themselves from the outside noise.

He referred to the dressing room as their place. He emphasized the words team, family, and grow.

Ward can read a room, body language, and a situation.

During a 15-minute post-practice press conference after being officially dubbed the Flames interim head coach, he was empathetic and insightful. Calm, but energetic and light. Funny, but serious and purposeful.

Hes been through it all as an assistant coach, said winger Milan Lucic, who was with Ward during the 2011 Stanley Cup. And he has gotten to work with some really good teams and really good coaching staffs.

Im excited to be here with him to see what he can do with this opportunity.

An opportunity presented itself during the 2002-03 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs when then-head coach Claude Julien was promoted to the NHL. Ward took the team to the Calder Cup final and was named the AHLs coach of the year.

That was the stop Sean McAslan remembers the most.

I was a Black Ace, just bag skating for a couple of months and the next year, I went to camp and I didnt have a very good camp, said the former Calgary Hitmen forward (1996-2001) who now works in the oil and gas industry in Calgary. They could have easily just sent me down, but (Ward) stuck with me because of the work Id done.

I had a couple of good exhibition games and on a per diem envelope, when he was handing them out, he wrote on mine: Great game, Sean. Keep it up. He didnt have to do anything like that, especially in the American league. You dont have coaches holding your hands you either make it, or you dont. McAslan, like Thompson, followed Ward to Toronto and to Edmonton with the AHL Road Runners. In those days, albeit not that long ago, it was common to walk on egg shells around the main boss.

Not Ward.

The head coach was the tough one, said McAslan, who played 127 games for Ward from 2002-05. And the assistant coaches were the ones you could relate to, especially coming up through junior and the early days of pros. Thats kind of the way it was. You could relate a little more to the assistant coach.

You could be a little more buddy-buddy with them. Geoff was a really relatable guy. Fernando Pisani was coached by Ward through the early 2000s before becoming a full-time NHLer for six years with the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks.

Now, a development coach for the Western Hockey Leagues Edmonton Oil Kings, Wards imprint was significant.

I think guys feel comfortable approaching him and saying whats on their mind, Pisani said. Right, wrong, or indifferent, hell give you the answer. And if you like it or you dont, hell tell it to you to help you become a better player. Pisani says the why is key in educating todays generation of players and Ward has always been skilled at that.

Gaining trust, Thompson adds, has also been one of Wards strengths.

When you need to coach and teach, you do those things, Thompson said. But if you see a person, you can go up and talk to him. Then, they know: Gosh, hes not just the coach coming at me to tell me what Im doing wrong again. Theres a time and a place for that. But theres also a time and a place to be a real person. A guys guy. I always thought Wardy was a guys guy.

Dressed in a royal blue suit and matching tie during Saturdays game at the Scotiabank Saddledome against the Senators, Ward shook hands with assistant coach Ryan Huska and equipment manager Mark DePasquale when the horn sounded and strode off the bench.

The Flames bench, it seemed, was looser than it had been in a long time. In his post-game press conference, he talked about the players being solution-oriented.

I want to treat the guys like men, because they are, Ward said. I want them to be an important part of the process, because its their program, not mine.

Many of his peers in the business believe that Ward has been ready for a head coaching position for some time. He was short-listed in Calgary in 2016, up against the eventual successful candidate, Glen Gulutzan.

The Flames have two victories with Ward at the helm. A 3-2 overtime win at Buffalo on Wednesday and Saturdays business-like 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.

According to Treliving, theres no immediate timetable of how long Ward will stay in this role. One would expect if there is quick evidence of buy-in and success, there would be a strong sense of permanency to the position. Ward, after all, was previously considered for the job and was poached by Treliving from the Devils ahead of the 2018-19 season to improve their power-play.

I loved Wardo as a coach, Devils forward Kyle Palmieri said. He was a great guy. He was a great communicator I think hes going to do a great job. Hes a guy who is well-respected and knows how to motivate. I think thats a team thats going through a bit of a rough patch and you add this (the Peters drama) on top of it Wardos a great coach and hes been around the league forever. I think hes more than qualified.

On Saturday night, Ward used common sense to give the Flames two consecutive days off, Sunday and Monday, to regroup. Sunday was originally slated to be a practice day.

Theyve been through a lot.

So has he.

This is difficult, Ward had said of what he made of the entire Peters situation, and how it has impacted him given the two were peers one week ago. Im still reeling from it, myself. Your thoughts and your emotions are all over the place. Its an unfortunate, unfortunate situation. Its not the way he drew it up, his ascent to the NHL. There are only 31 jobs in this unforgiving business. Ward called it a dream realized. From lesson planning to coaching at hockeys highest level, its the very definition of a dream realized. But as far as hes concerned, the job is based on communication and relationships. Just like a teachers. I think its important you know them as people, Ward said of building the players trust. You know what they do for hobbies. What their families are like. All of those things. So, it gives me an opportunity to talk to them about other things than hockey when they get to the rink. I think its important that all of those things are in play. For me, then, its much easier to send messages to them that need to be sent. Its easier for them to feel comfortable to come in to talk to me about things. Really, thats what Im all about.

Im all about communicating with people, trusting people, believing in people, and empowering people to come together as a group and become the best that we can be.

WARDS COACHING LOG

1989-92 University of Waterloo, CIAU, assistant coach 1992-93 Niagara Falls Thunder, OHL, assistant coach 1993-94 Waterloo Siskins, MWJHL, head coach 1994-98 Kitchener Rangers, OHL, head coach 1998-99 Guelph Storm, OHL, head coach 99-2000 Arkansas RiverBlades, ECHL, head coach 2000-01 EC Bad Nauheim, Germany2, head coach 2001-02 Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL, assistant coach 2002-03 Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL, asst. coach, head coach (Named AHL coach of the year) 2003-04 Toronto Roadrunners, AHL, head coach 2004-05 Edmonton Road Runners, AHL, head coach 2005-06 Edmonton Oilers, NHL, development coach 2006-07 Iserlohn Roosters, DEL, head coach 2007-14 Boston Bruins, NHL, assistant coach 2014-15 Adler Mannheim, DEL, head coach (Named DEL coach of the year) 2015-18 Germanys world championship team, asst. coach 2015-18 New Jersey Devils, NHL, assistant coach 2018-19 Calgary Flames, NHL, associate coach 2019-20 Calgary Flames, NHL, associate coach, Interim head coach

kanderson@postmedia.com

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GEOFF WARD: New coach the kind of 'guy's guy' the Flames need right now - Calgary Sun

Three months after this photo was taken, Dad, 78, had a cardiac arrest out of the blue in our farmyard. Mum saw him collapse, called 999, and the operator talked her through CPR to keep him alive in the 20 minutes it took the ambulance to arrive. He was rushed to hospital in Carlisle, where his heart was restarted with a defibrillator. Because Dad was so fit, he stabilised. But the damage to his oxygen-starved brain was too much and he never regained consciousness. Just over a week later we had to make the terrible decision to turn off the machines.

Dads death changed me in many ways. Obviously, I miss him tremendously its heartbreaking to go back to the local churchyard and see his grave. There is a huge hole in our family: my mother is still struggling to deal with his loss, as are my kids.

My attitude to life has changed 100 per cent since my father died. I was always a bit carpe diem and felt life was for living, but Im even more so now. Losing him has made me think how short our lives are and how we must make the most of them. I know that I have to savour every moment and to create more memories.

As a rugby player as well as a coach, Id had years of experience with sports medicine and physios, but never this kind of life-and-death illness. Now I am very engaged. Shortly after Dad died, I picked up a book called Critical: Science and Stories from the Brink of Human Life by Dr Matthew Morgan, an intensive-care consultant. There were chapters on the heart and brain that gave me some understanding of what had happened to my father. I emailed Matt to thank him for his book, and explain to him how it is from the other side of the process, as a relative, waiting in intensive care, listening to different consultants.

Dad had already suffered a heart attack (followed by a bypass) back in 2007, which I believe was related to the stress he went through during the foot-and-mouth disease crisis six years earlier. I wasnt aware this increased his risk of a cardiac arrest. If wed have known that, we would have made sure he had more ECGs, maybe even had a defibrillator on the farm. Fewer than 10 per cent of cardiac arrest patients survive, but if their hearts are swiftly restarted, the odds increase dramatically.

My father has left big shoes to fill. His passing has made me realise the importance of family. And if increased awareness of heart health leads to one more life saved, then thats a legacy of which Dad would be very proud.

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Former England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster: 'Losing Dad has made me realise the importance of family' - The Telegraph

Posted: Nov. 23, 2019 5:54 pm Updated: Nov. 23, 2019 5:58 pm

HANNIBAL Head Coach Eric Hill and members of the Hannibal Pirates Varsity Boys Soccer team achieved success through a family atmosphere, looking back on a strong 2019 season with a 17-7 record.

Hill said many underclassmen stepped up for starting positions as the season began seniors Nathan DeStefane and Mason Tharp helped teammates lead by example, and players who secured starting positions during practice felt the need to perform their best in a competitive atmosphere with teammates who were also ready to take the lead. Several family members played together thisyear, like Parker Terrill, his brother, Tristen, and their cousin, Blayde; along with brothers Kolin Westhoff and Karson Westhoff and first-cousins Tharp and Kayne Whitley. From practice sessions to games, the players and their coach became a close-knit group.

They cared for each other and they wanted to win, Hill said. They talked each other up, tried to pump each other up, instead of getting onto somebody if they made a mistake. They tried get them to stay positive and keep it going for the next one.

The team members felt the same way about how Hill created a positive and challenging environment for each athlete, regardless of their skill level. He coaches boys and girls soccer teams from second grade through junior varsity and varsity levels, making himself available to athletes and parents on a daily basis.He also leads the athletes on a yearly Kickin' Cancer fundraiser to benefit the Patient Assistance Fund at the James E. Cary Cancer Center.

His personality is as good as his coaching, Kolin Westhoff said. DeStefane felt that Hill made a profound impact on his life.

Coach Hill has been a consistent role model for me these last four years. He pushes me to be successful on the soccer field and with my academics. Coach is someone that I look up to on the soccer field as well as in everyday life. His influence has had an impact on my actions how I carry myself (on or off the field) and how I treat others, DeStefane said. He develops a personal relationship with all students and players in an attempt to bring the best out of everyone. I would not be the athlete I am today or more importantly the person that I am today without the guidance, leadership and compassion that Coach Hill has used to greatly affect my life.

Tharp remembered how he came to Hill, who got him into soccer his freshman year with no prior experience. Hillkept pushing me all four years to get better and better. Looking back on his senior year and all the skills he developed, Tharp is now at a place where he can play for a college team.

He just never let me quit, Tharp said.

Hill said the season consisted of many close games consisting of one, two or three goals. Those games helped the players respond effectively to thetight level of competition and fight for every win. Hill said the hard work and willingness to step up from underclassmen along with the effective leadership from upperclassmen led to a successful result.

This team exceeded expectations for just about everybody, including myself, Hill said. I didn't think that we would have the record that we would have I thought that we would be OK I didn't think that we would finish 17-7.

Tristen Terrill said the team played together well based on trust between the teammates. He said it was pretty cool to have his brother, Parker, as goalie and his cousin, Blayde, playing defense as center back. And he was quick to commend all the other players who worked together.

Honestly, the whole team was kind of like brothers, and you could trust any of them always count on everyone, he said. Everyone's been like family.

tmcdonald@courierpost.com

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Band of brothers - Hannibal.net

DeShena Woodard is happy.

Shes working full time in her dream job as an RN, running her own financial blog and living in a suburb outside of Houston.

From the outside looking in, youd never guess this got-it-all-together professional was recently struggling.

Just a few years ago, Woodard was anxious. Every dollar she made at her part-time job was earmarked for a bill to pay someone else. She had nothing in savings and was growing weary of living paycheck to paycheck.

In this series, NerdWallet interviews people who have triumphed over debt. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Woodard was spending more than she earned, something she refers to as living extravagantly broke. (Appropriately, Extravagantly Broke is now the name of her blog.)

Thats when things changed. With her children getting older and her own education complete, Woodard was in a position to begin working full time. She upped her salary to approximately $75,000 in 2017 (a sizable increase from about $50,000 in 2016) and undertook a financial journey.

While her husband paid down household debt, Woodard worked on paying her own. She shifted her focus from habits like buying new clothes and overspending on Christmas to holding on to things longer instead of replacing them. She bought only what she needed and rarely what she wanted. Her lifestyle went from extravagant to frugal.

And it worked.

Between January 2017 and August 2019, Woodard paid off $51,754 in debt a combination of credit cards, auto loans and a personal loan.

She paid off a Nissan auto loan, hefty credit card charges for her schooling that had been building up and expenses for her daughter.

Nowadays, shes living comfortably and is still getting used to small victories like seeing money building in her bank account. The best part? Woodard says shes doing better emotionally.

I feel much happier not having any debt and driving a Nissan than I would having a lot of debt driving a Mercedes.

Heres how she paid off debt and what she learned along the way, in her own words.

What triggered your decision to start getting out of debt?

I was not happy with the current state of my finances. I was stressed and anxious about money all the time. I knew that what I was doing wasnt working and decided to make a change. I changed my attitude toward money and that is what led to a change in my spending behavior. I made the choice to live a comfortable life instead of an extravagantly broke one.

How did you prioritize your debts?

I was paying all of them at the same time, but I was paying more on some than others. For one credit card, I was paying $500 a month and the other one $300. On my car, I was paying double. But once I got both credit cards paid off, then I was able to pay triple on my car.

For me, I needed to see that they were all moving in the right direction. Thats just what worked better for me. For some people, it may be better to just pay one thing off at a time if thats what you can do.

How has your life changed for the better since you got out of debt?

My life has definitely changed for the better since being out of debt. For one thing, I can sleep better at night. Im not always worried about being able to pay my bills. I am now at the point where I forget when payday is. And I often go for more than a week before even checking my bank account to make sure that I did get paid.

How do you remain debt-free today?

I have become much more money savvy and I dont make spur-of-the-moment purchases. Every spending decision has to be well thought out. I stick to using cash or debit. And I budget for everything.

What made you start your blog?

I know there are people out there like me. For me, it took a mindset shift. Until we can change our thinking, its hard to change our behavior. In my writing, I focus a lot on mindset, trying to dive a little deeper. I can just give you tips, but until something changes mentally, it all just washes over people.

It really takes this sort of self-discovery. You really need to think deep and figure out what is the reason that you need that? Why do you need this car versus that car? Or do you really need another car? Whats wrong with the car you have? Would it be more affordable to fix that up or put a little money into it versus pay a monthly car payment that youre going to be responsible for for the next 60 months or however many months of your life?

What is your next goal?

Im working toward becoming a certified life coach so that I can begin coaching people on their mindset and their money to help them bridge the gap and get over the hurdle of why theyre spending.

How to ditch your own debt

In addition to shifting her thinking, Woodard implemented several money-saving strategies. Used in combination, they were effective in reducing her spending and paying down her debt. Here are a few you can try, too:

There are also some universal strategies to keep debt at bay. Here are a few of NerdWallets top tips:

More From NerdWallet

Courtney Jespersen is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: courtney@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @CourtneyNerd.

The article How I Ditched Debt: From Extravagantly Broke to Comfortably Frugal originally appeared on NerdWallet.

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She ditched more than $50,000 in debt and you can too: Heres how - OregonLive.com

As a writer, it's not often that I find myself at a loss for words. Friday night around 11 p.m. was one of those times.

I had just received a text from a good friend of mine, informing me that longtime Freeland girls' basketball coach Tom Zolinski had passed away. Initially, I simply could not believe what I was reading. My immediate reaction was, "That can't be true."

Unfortunately, as I quickly learned, it was all too true.

Once the reality of that news set in, my next reaction was sadness just piercing, overwhelming sadness. It's always stunning when someone you know pretty well dies unexpectedly. It doesn't matter how often one experiences that news. It never gets any easier, and it's always gut-wrenching.

Choking back some hot tears, I inquired as to the cause of Tom's death and was told that the cause was yet to be determined. As of this writing Saturday afternoon, it's still a mystery. What is not a mystery, though, is why I have been hearing so much feedback from folks in the local sports community sharing their thoughts, prayers, and memories of Tom and praising him for a life well-lead.

From what I can gather, he was loved, respected, admired, and cherished ... and he will be missed dearly.

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Photo: Daily News File Photo

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Kelly: Zolinski left wonderful legacy of humility, success, and class

It does not surprise me one iota to hear all of the aforementioned comments about Tom Zolinski. It's been said many times already today, but I will definitely say it again he was a great coach and even better person.

I think it is easy to overlook how good a coach Tom was based on the fact that Freeland has produced a string of excellent female basketball players over the past many years. But, as more than one coach has pointed out to me today, simply having good players does not necessarily result in multiple conference, district, and regional championships. Someone still has to guide them, to promote team chemistry, and to assure that the parts function smoothly as a unit. And by all counts, Tom was masterful at getting the very best out of his players both superstars and role players alike.

Having covered Tom's teams for the past 12 years, I can say without reservation that his Falcons have always been some of my favorite teams to cover for three simple reasons: they always played uber hard, they always played smart basketball, and (here's my favorite thing) they always played together SO well.

A great example of that was Tom's 2017 team, which had no superstars like Tori Jankoska or Taryn Taugher but which still managed to win its first 26 games and reach the Class B state semifinals before finally losing for the first and only time. No, that team didn't have a superstar, but what it did have was a bunch of girls who bought into the team-first concept, who shared the ball beautifully and crisply, and who valued the importance of defense. A lot of credit goes to those players for embracing that model, but a lot of credit also goes to Tom for fostering a team atmosphere where everyone understood her role and flourished in it.

Let's face it, a coach doesn't string together the run of conference, district, and regional championships that Tom did in his 12 years at Freeland without knowing what he's doing and without having the trust of his players.

And that brings us to Tom Zolinski, the man.

All day today I've been hearing stories of how Tom cared deeply about his players (a fact which was always evident whenever he'd talk about them in postgame interviews), about how he excelled at building relationships with his players, and about how he would even go have lunch with Freeland's elementary schoolers in order to form a bond with his future players early in their young lives. That, to me, is going above and beyond the norm, and that probably goes a long way toward explaining why Tom's players seemed to love playing for him.

My personal experience with Tom was nothing but positive. Of course, it's tempting to paint an individual in glowing colors after he or she is gone. But when folks call Tom Zolinski a "great man," I can honestly say without hesitation that my experience with him supports that claim 100 percent.

During his 12 years at the Falcons' helm, I had the pleasure of covering his teams dozens of times, including many, many postseason games. Never not once did Tom EVER treat me with anything but graciousness, respect, and courtesy whenever I interviewed him, and that includes some tough interviews following heartbreaking postseason losses.

He was never surly, never defensive, never standoffish. When his teams won a big game, he was polite and humble. And when his teams lost a big game, he was even-keeled and reflective. But never grouchy. One of his more endearing qualities was that, for all of his on-court success and hard work, he invariably gave ALL the credit to his players. As I've said, he was nothing if not humble.

I recall driving down to the Breslin Center or, rather, attempting to drive down to the Breslin Center for Freeland's state semifinal game in March 2017. Along the way, around St. Johns, my car broke down, and I was forced to sit in a cold car in a cold parking lot, watching the snow fall while awaiting assistance and knowing that I was going to have to miss the game. I was so disappointed. I felt that I was letting Tom down, I was letting his team down, and I was letting our readers down by not being there.

The very next morning, I called Tom and personally apologized for having missed the game. Rather than upbraid me for not being there (or rather than even hint at being disappointed by my absence), Tom's immediate reaction was to make sure I was OK and to give me some terrific advice. "Go see my brother at McDonald Ford in Freeland," he said. "He'll get you a good deal on a nice car. I guarantee it."

Well, I took Tom's advice, and sure enough: his brother Steve and the staff at McDonald bent over backward to get me financed for a low-mileage Chrysler 200 the same car I'm driving today and the best car I've ever owned. Suffice it to say that I was and still am very grateful to Tom and to his brother for that gesture.

More than a couple of people, such as local coaches and players and acquaintances of Tom's, have told me today that they will miss Tom greatly and that the basketball community will not be the same without him. All I can say to that is, "Amen." I, too, will miss Tom fiercely.

I will miss his smiling face. I will miss his easygoing demeanor. I will miss hisfirmhandshake and warm chuckle. I will miss watching him mold young girls into an incredible basketball-playing machine. I will miss his self-effacing praise for the players under his tutelage. But most of all, I will miss his friendship.

How will Freeland girls' basketball go on without Tom? Who will coach the team in his stead? Will future generations of Freeland basketball players enjoy similar success? I have no idea yet. But I do know that Tom's legacy will live on in the lives of the players he loved so dearly. And, hopefully, that dedication to molding young people into winners both in sports and in life will trickle down from his former players to many future generations to come.

In short, Tom may be gone, but I have a feeling that his positive influence will continue to be felt in more ways than he could've possibly imagined.

I think Tom would be so incredibly pleased to hear what Tori Jankoska had to say about him Saturday morning. I think she summed up Tom's impact on his players' lives beautifully.

"Coach Z ... coached all of us from the beginning (of our basketball careers), but it was never about the wins. He made us all laugh and fall in love with going to practice and playing the game we love with our best friends," said Jankoska, who is now coaching young women at Missouri State University. "He brought light to anyone around him. He guided us in life. He created memories that will last a lifetime on and off the court. I can only hope to touch players' lives the way he did mine."

Who can ask for a better legacy than that?

Fred Kelly is a sportswriter for the Daily News.

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Kelly: Zolinski left wonderful legacy of humility, success, and class - Midland Daily News

Mary Beth Ray, then the Van Ness Main Street president, addressing a 2016 VNMS fundraiser.

Mary Beth Ray has never shied away from a challenge. She served as an ANC 3F commissioner and she co-founded the predecessor to Van Ness Main Street, ANC 3Fs Van Ness Vision Committee. Ray went on to chair the VNMS board. Now she is helping people take on their own challenges as a leadership, career and life coach.

The brings to mind visions of one-on-one personal coaching and career development, but Ray also engages groups with her coaching. We were curious about that so we asked her to explain what is involved.

by Mary Beth Ray

You leave yet another meeting exhausted and frustrated. Did anyone even hear what you said? Everyone seemed to be talking past each other, one person hogged the floor, and next steps are clear as mud. Whats the point of a team if everyone refuses to collaborate?

Sound familiar? Whether a law firm, company, nonprofit, board, government agency, or another organization, how you and your colleagues understand or misunderstand each other affects every aspect of your organizations performance.

Workplace conflict is unavoidable, and it most commonly occurs when team members are fundamentally different. But differences are good and provide balance to the organization, which is crucial to top performance. The key is to identify and manage those differences, understanding yourself and others on the team, and the values each person brings.

Mary Beth Ray

What small but significant differences can you make to understand each other better? With a team assessment and debrief, employees understand the reasoning behind their colleagues actions, and they can begin to communicate their frustrations with each other with safer, less-confrontational language, and in turn, improve overall team awareness.

Differences can feel like each team member is speaking a different language. What if you had an instant translator to understand each of those languages? Team assessments are like instant translators.

Whats the difference between individual and team assessments? Many people are familiar with Myers Briggs, but not so familiar with a team assessment. While an individual assessment such as Myers Briggs can tell you about yourself, a team assessment will pull together data on the whole team, highlighting strengths, potential areas where members might get stuck, and identify adaptations that can lead to better collaboration. It can also identify potential gaps on your team, which can be taken into consideration in hiring to diversify your team and build strengths where they are currently lacking.

How does it work? Each member of the team takes an individual assessment measuring behavior, motivators and emotional quotient. The questions are online and take about 20 minutes. The assessment yields a 50-page report, followed up with an individual debrief with a certified coach, which takes about an hour and a half. Individual assessments identify individual strengths, ask if your strengths align well to your job role, and ask whether you are being managed to your strengths. Following individual debriefs, the team gets together for a group debrief with the coach, which takes less than 2 hours.

An example of TTIs Success Insights Wheel.

What happens in the team debrief? Each individual is plotted on the Success Insights Wheel, showing their natural and adapted behavior. Natural behavior is the real you and adapted behavior is how you change your behavior to adapt to your work environment. During a team debrief, the coach facilitates a discussion that gets everyone involved in sharing their strengths and identifying challenges. Starting with a volunteer, each member of the team shares their key insights from their reports. What are 1-2 things youd like your team to know about you? For example, do you like to lead or be in the background? Do you want to research every possible answer, or do you have a strong sense of urgency to get the work done. What value do they each bring to an organization, how do they want to be communicated with? We review perceptions, how each team member perceives his own value, and how others might perceive them under moderate or extreme stress. What do the natural and adapted graphs show with regard to how people approach problems and challenges, how people influence people, whether they process verbally or internally? Whats the potential for conflict when a boss is an extrovert and others on the team are introverts?

Whats up with the wheel? Where do team members fall within the wheel, are they task oriented or people oriented? Fast or slow? What value does each member bring to the team, and where might the team struggle? What are the learnings, and next steps to cultivate adaptations? If everyone in the group is a Supporter, it might feel like a calm, steady, friendly place to work. But would hiring a Persuader help drive new challenges, results and PR? What challenges could be anticipated with the addition of a Persuader?

Is this judgment? No. Its all about self-awareness and empathy. The self-awareness and empathy we learn through assessments teach us to understand where people are coming from, why they do what they do, and what motivates them. Assessments reveal the filters through which we process information and make decisions. Every decision has emotion attached to it, and as we discover our own emotion, and that of others, were able to reflect, make space for others, and ultimately make better decisions.

In short, there is no judgment, no right or wrong answer, and each person brings unique strengths and value to the team. Insights gained through team assessments provide the foundation for more effective communication, and mission success.

How accurate is the data?

TTI is the worlds leading developer of research-based, validated assessment and coaching tools, used in more than 90 countries and in 40 languages. TTI regularly uses statistical analysis and brain imaging to update and validate their questionnaires. Between January 2014 and May 2017, TTI collected data from 1,735,323 people. Here are the study results.

The DISC and Driving Forces assessments are pegged to the norm unique for each population it surveys. So for example, Argentines taking the DISC are benchmarked against other Argentines, not against Americans or French.

The Takeaway

Individual assessments give you an accurate perception of yourself, and how you interact with people. You will understand the causes of conflict. Results will guide your personal and professional development and a higher level of satisfaction. Team assessments will quickly show where conflict can occur, and identify where communication, understanding and appreciation can be increased.

Coaching can be a great next step following individual and team assessments. Coaching is a partnership between coach and client, with the coach using active listening and powerful questions to challenge and inspire the client toward self-awareness, growth, and action. It is different from therapy, mentoring, and performance review.

Leadership requires growth, and growth requires self-awareness. Assessments and coaching are great tools to dig deeply to understand who we are, what motivates us, and whether our lives are aligned with our values. What are our strengths, and how do we lean into them? What are our opportunities to be better leaders? Moving from good to great leadership moves a team or organization closer to mission success.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please check out mbrcoach.com or contact Mary Beth Ray at mbr@mbrcoach.com.

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Meet Your Neighbors: She helps people learn more about themselves and each other - Forest Hills Connection