Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

But They're My Friends...

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 @ 08:02 AM

“What should I do? 

Should I not listen to my friends?

They’re my friends.”


 

Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.
Friends don’t let friends make bad decisions, take the easy way out, support bad habits or enable them to continue down a dangerous path.

Friends tell you when you’re wrong because they’re your friends.
Friends will tell you that you’re making a poor choice and help you find a better one.

Real friends, the ones you want to surround yourself with, are the ones that aren’t afraid to tell you that you’re wrong….

Because that’s what real friends do.

Sorry Lebron – time to find some new friends.

Topics: Art Horne, basketball conference, athletic training conference, LeBron James

This Is You, Outside The Box

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Nov 1, 2010 @ 08:11 AM

The NBA has been in the news recently because of the impending lockout coming next summer.  With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire, the time has come to reevaluate how the league works.  The problem (at least from the owners’ and league’s perspective) is that despite the fact that the league makes upwards of $2 billion a year, the owners as a whole are projected to lose $340 to $350 million this upcoming season.  Of course, there are still a number of profitable franchises in the NBA, but owners that play in small markets, paid above-market price for their teams in the last ten years, or both (yikes) are playing with a serious disadvantage as opposed to owners in Boston, Los Angeles and other major markets.  So what is a small market team to do?  Sell the team at a loss?  Attempt to move to a larger market?  If you are Clay Bennett, owner of the former Seattle Supersonics and current Oklahoma City Thunder, then the answer is the latter.  When times got tough, Bennett said goodbye to the city that had been the Sonics’ home since 1967 for greener pastures.  However, if you are like most small market teams with an investment in and appreciation for their city, you think outside the box.  For instance, this year a number of small market teams that only sell out a handful of games each year have begun charging increased prices for tickets to those more popular games.  Simple, but it is also as effective as it is untraditional.   It’s something that scalpers have been doing for years, so why can’t it work for the franchises themselves? 

In any environment, thinking outside the box is often the key to strategic growth.  I know what you’re thinking, “Shaun, thinking outside the box is a phrase I have heard for years.  This is nothing new.”  That’s a fair argument, but think about this for a second;  how often in your office environment do you and your coworkers choose the path of least resistance over a new way of doing things?  I am willing to bet that the phrase “that’s how we have always done things” is used a lot whenever somebody brings up a new idea.  Everybody talks about innovation, but how innovative is your office really?  True innovation is fostered on a regular basis to help small businesses play on a more level playing field, to help organizations recover from a downturn in the economy, or even to help the most successful corporations stay on top.  After all, how do you think they got there in the first place?  So take a while to evaluate what you and your business does on a daily basis to stay competitive.  Figure out what tasks are non-essential, which ones take more man hours than they should, and if there are more efficient ways of doing certain things. 

Hint: there usually are. 

 

Shaun Bossio is the Assistant Business Manager and ProShop Manager at Boston University FitRec.
He can be reached at sbossio@bu.edu

Topics: basketball conference, basketball training programs, athletic training conference, basketball videos, LeBron James, NBA

A Week with Pat Riley - Leadership

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Oct 4, 2010 @ 08:10 AM

Team-Building Leadership Philosophy

Whether you agree with the Heat’s move to acquire and sign Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James this off season are or not, one thing most of us can agree upon is that only a weathered and tested leader could handle the ego’s and attitudes of all three at the same time.  With the NBA basketball season quickly approaching, the following week’s inserts will focus directly on the man with the mission of delivering an NBA championship to Miami – Pat Riley.

everything basketball

What is your team-building leadership philosophy?

The overall philosophy is that you have to, voluntarily, get out of yourself and get with the program.  Whatever the program is.  You have to find a way to decide to either jump in or jump out. And getting yourself to that point first, instead of riding the fence philosophically, is first and foremost in trying to develop the confidence of the team. You’re either with me or against me. A house divided against itself surely will not stand. The most difficult thing any coach or teacher or parent ever has to do is to get someone to do the things they don’t want to do in order to achieve what the team needs. An that’s our challenge.

(Interview questions and answers taken directly from the February 2007 edition of Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director)

 

 

Topics: LeBron James, Pat Riley, discipline, Leadership

You're going to need those Bridges someday, so put down the Matches

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Sun, Jul 25, 2010 @ 09:07 AM

Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that we have an employee (let's call him LJ) who is so good at his job that he is sought after by every corporation in his particular industry.  LJ's current contract has expired and he is exploring his options.  His current corporation is offering more money than anyone else and a chance to stay in the only company he has ever worked for with the opportunity to take them to new heights.  Unfortunately for his company and customer-base, LJ decides to take his talents elsewhere and try something new.  Unfortunately for LJ, after making his decision he makes a big spectacle of his departure, giving his company zero notice, zero chance to replace him, and crippling them for the near future.  LJ's CEO (let's call him DW) is so upset with the slight that he makes a rash decision to publicly denounce LJ and blame him for all of the shortcomings of his company.  LJ's situation is immediately the talk of the industry and the talk is centered around how he could not have played his situation any worse. Once an enormously popular employee with limitless potential, LJ has now succeeded in alienating a large number of his coworkers and customers, all former supporters, that he worked so hard to amass. 

During the course of your career you will have at least one instance where you have the opportunity to take your talents to a different employer.  That is part of the game.  Situations change, your performance and skills evolve, and new opportunities arise.  Though these partings are not always amicable and relations can become strained, it is counterintuitive to burn a bridge that you have spent so much time and energy constructing.  Not only did your old company, coworkers, and customers play a part in getting you to where you are today, but they might still play an important role for you down the road.  Even when the situation behind your departure might not be ideal, it is always better to take the high road than a parting shot.  Losing contacts, prospective employers/ees, or customers because you were unhappy at the end is never the smart way to go. 

Sure, LJ is doing just fine for himself right now in Miami (or wherever, because this is purely hypothetical), but you never know when he might need that bridge after all. 


Shaun Bossio is the Assistant Business Manager and ProShop Manager at Boston University FitRec.
He can be reached at sbossio@bu.edu

Topics: LeBron James, Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavs, everything basketball