| |
Neil
Phillips
|
| |
|
Move
The Goal Posts! |
|
Do you…
* See colleagues running into the same obstacles over and
over again?
* Often hear “But, that’s the way we’ve always
done it” as a reason for why a much-needed change isn’t
made?
* Think “standard operating procedure” is compromising
employee effectiveness?
For decades, football players were forced to contend with a potent
obstacle, one that no amount of offensive scheming or athleticism
could overcome. In addition to the 11 uniformed defenders, runners
and receivers had to perform their duties while trying to avoid
an unmovable and unforgiving impediment; the goal posts. Finally,
after 41 years of head-on collisions in which players were cruelly
upended (not to mention, forever humiliated), decision-makers
took action and moved to the goal posts to the back of the end
zone, safely out of everyone’s way.
Why did it take so long to address and solve such an obvious
problem?
Good question. What can organizations learn from this amusing,
mind-boggling, and logic-defying example? Move the Goal Posts!
answers this and addresses other key issues, such as:
* What are the 3 must-ask questions to identify the “goal
posts” (obstacles to progress) in your business?
* What is the secret to motivating people to embrace change,
rather than reject it?
* What are the 7 reasons new ideas get doomed to failure?
* What can leaders do to ensure a successful transition to a
better way of doing business?
Move the Goal Posts! introduces the P4 Pathway - People-Process-Productivity-Profits:
a step by step methodology for establishing a course of breakthrough
action that unifies and invigorates those around it.
“Move the Goal Posts” will become a water-cooler
metaphor for the question “Isn’t it about time we
make this obviously needed change?”
Programs
Motivational
Visible Men: Unveiling Black Male Role Models
Visible Men: Unveiling Black Role Models will highlight a few
of the many successful black men in America. It will present
them as the role models they are, and will explore their views
on triumph and achievement.
Organizational Culture/Diversity
Cultural Cash: The Currency that Counts
The Cultural Cash concept provides organizations with a common
language to assess and address their atmosphere of teamwork.
It leads people towards the elusive, yet magical element of
team chemistry which, once achieved, fuels organizations to
new heights of accomplishment and fulfillment.
Organizational Change
Move the Goal Posts: Finding Solutions to Age-Old Problems
Youth Sports
Moral Victory: Restoring Purpose and Meaning to Youth
Sports
Sadly, in sports parlance, the term “moral victory”
has somehow come to represent an undesirable result. How can
that be? Moral victory should be the end goal of every practice
and game that takes place on the youth sports playing fields.
Through a comprehensive review of the dilemmas in the youth
sports world, Moral Victory will inspire addressees to rededicate
themselves to the “higher-calling” of character
education through youth sports.
Enough!: Battling the MORE of Youth Sports
Enough! will examine the prevailing mindset in youth sports
that more is better. The book will assert that we are sacrificing
the educative quality of our programs in favor of unchecked
escalation (e.g. more games, more travel, longer seasons). Enough!
will reveal how the MORE attitude is adversely affecting players,
coaches, parents, and administrators.
Spiritual Sports: Transcending Self through Sports
In order to be successful, teams must have players and coaches
who rise to the challenge of lifting others to new heights of
achievement. For this to take place, individuals must place
their wants and needs behind those of the group. This is the
single greatest aspect of team sports. Spiritual Sports celebrates
this sacrifice of self and elevation of others and names it
as the most virtuous of pursuits. It reveals the personal fulfillment
found through placing personal second and challenges us to apply
this gracious practice to our lives beyond sports.
The Last Runner: Celebrating Winners Who Lose
We are a society that is infatuated by winning and “winners”,
even at the youth sports level. This obsession causes us as
youth sports coaches, parents, and administrators to neglect
our responsibility to all youth sports participants, most notably,
the ones who don’t stand out. The Last Runner will artfully
celebrate the merit and virtue that is too often overlooked
in non-winners. It will honor and dignify the non-winner as
a valuable source of inspiration. It will highlight the societal
need to recognize non-winners as leaders and motivators. Finally,
and most importantly, it will remind the adults in the youth
sports world to commit to every young athlete with whom they
work, whether they are stand-outs, occasional victors, or last
runners.
Medal Counts: Saving Youth Sports from our Obsession
with Winning
Our country is obsessed with winning. As an example, we track
medals won during Olympic competition. Is this curious tally
of medals consistent with the spirit of the competition? Are
we hoping to claim to win the Olympics? Many would say ‘no’.
Nothing satisfies our competitive needs as much as scoring more
points, goals, or runs than our opponent. While acknowledging
the instructive merits of striving for victory, Medal Counts
will explore strategies to prevent the pursuit of winning from
overwhelming the educational interests of youth sports.
|
Bio:
Neil Phillips is a 1989 graduate of Harvard University, where
he received a Bachelor’s Degree in English and American
Literature. He is the Head of the Upper School at Landon School,
an independent boys day school in Bethesda, Maryland. Neil has
had an illustrious career as an athlete, coach, entrepreneur,
and educator.
At Harvard, Neil was a standout athlete. He was named Athlete
of the Year by the Harvard Independent in 1989. He was a member
of the football and basketball teams, making him one of the rare
student-athletes to play both sports at the Division 1 level.
In addition, Neil is the only athlete in Harvard’s history
to receive All-Ivy League honors in both sports.
Neil has spent much of his professional life educating young
people, primarily through the vehicle of athletics. In 1994, he
founded One on One Basketball, a year-round instructional program
for aspiring players. Since its inception, the organization has
worked with over 15,000 young players nationally and abroad. From
1999-2002, Neil served as Coaching Education Manager for the Positive
Coaching Alliance (PCA). Based at Stanford University, PCA is
a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the culture of
youth sports. Through workshops for coaches, sports parents, league
administrators, and athletes, PCA’s mission is to “transform
youth sports so sports can transform youth”. In his role
as Coach Education Manager, Neil helped design, develop, and deliver
workshops to thousands of coaches across the country. In 2002-03
Neil served as a consultant for Team Up for Youth Sports, an Oakland,
California based foundation that supports youth sports initiatives
in lower-income communities. Neil is passionate about his belief
in the value of athletics as a vehicle for character education
of young people.
In 2003, Neil became the Athletic Director and Head Basketball
Coach at Landon. In his administrative role, he successfully orchestrated
several school-wide and departmental change initiatives. In addition,
Neil taught English at the middle and upper school levels. In
June of 2005, Neil was appointed to the position of Head of the
Upper School. As the first African-American to hold this post
at Landon, Neil is a prominent leader in helping the school deliver
on its promise to become a fully integrated and racially diverse
community. In addition to his many administrative roles, Neil
teaches public speaking.
An experienced and accomplished public speaker, Neil is a member
of the National Speakers Association. In addition, Neil is currently
authoring his first book, Visible Men: Unveiling Black Male Role
Models.
Through his experiences as an athlete and educator, Neil embodies
a unique perspective as a spokesperson on race relations, diversity
issues, organizational culture, and character education of young
people.
|
|
