On Coaching - Daniel Coyle (Mon 15 Sep 2014)

Garmin Team Bus - Westminster Bridge / London (Sun 14 Sep 2014)
The Talent Code (*) writes Inspiration (*):

A conventional coach focuses first on skills. A relationship-based coach, on the other hand, focuses first on creating a sense of belonging.

A conventional coach asks: what can I do to help them win? A relationship-based coach asks: what can I do to help us nurture connections and create a culture?

A conventional coach views his team through the lens of performance. A relationship-based coach views his team through the lens of family — which, not coincidentally, tends to make the teaching all the more effective.People work hard for a team. They work even harder for a team that truly feels like family.

via The Best Locker-Room Speech Ever, and Why it Works (*) by Daniel Coyle (*).

A great post and it is definitely worth reading. It has helped me understand how well we did in Ravenna and it is the kind of message that will help motivate me to keep paddling at the same level and intensity I have now for 10 years. Both Paul's and Gavin's talks on the last day of racing are examples of this. I will post some more from the post later.

On Creativity and Teamwork - Daniel Coyle (Wed 09 Apr 2014)

Pacific Dragons (*) - SIRC / Penrith (Sun 06 Apr 2014)
Daniel Coyle (*) writes on creativity (*) and teamwork (*):

Creativity (*), then, is not about finding one brilliant individual, but rather about creating effective patterns of interaction between a bunch of smart individuals. About arranging the right people in the right way, and letting them get to work with as few barriers and as much focus (*) as possible.

via How to Be More Creative (Step #1: Buy This Pixar Book) (*) by Daniel Coyle (*).

This might be abstracted from the Pixar (*) experience. Same can be said about any team based activity. Thanks for the photo Ali.

On Awareness - The Talent Code / Daniel Coyle (Mon 12 Nov 2012)

Jenny - Thredbo (Wed 08 Jan 2003)
Daniel Coyle (*) writes on How to Boost Awareness (*)

Know where you are, and know where you’re supposed to be. [..]

Know where you are. - What move are you making, exactly, right now? Are you tuned into the precise knowledge of your performance as it unfolds?

Know where you’re supposed to be. - Where are you in relation to the ideal move? If you could superimpose yourself over the ideal performance, where would you match, and where would you fall short?

This advice fits with our scientific picture of skill acquisition. [..] In a word, it’s about cultivating awareness - awareness of ourselves, and of the path to our target performance.

Definitely applies to photography as well.

Igniting the Spark of Change by Durwin Long (21 Mar 2011)

Durwin Long writes in Igniting the Spark of Change (21 Mar 2011):

Change requires a spark that ignites an individual or a team do what is necessary to achieve a goal.

And, that spark can come from anyone at anytime.

The most effective leaders are the change agents who know how and when to light the spark that ignites a team to greatness.

Another great quote found from another Daniel Coyle Google Alert that came through today (and yes I have a copy and have read Daniel Coyle's book The Talent Code - it was the first book I bought and read after Jenny's passing).

The great thing about all my paddling experiences is that I have witnessed and been exposed to much of the insights, posted by other people, that I capture here on this blog, this post just being another instance. As an example, I can remember the exact moments for the Prague 2009 and Macau 2010 campaign's where I have witnessed the leadership to ignite the change needed to achieve our goals. There have been a few others that standout in my mind, including the Port Stephens 2008 OC6 Changes Race and the 2009 AusDBF National Dragon Boat Championships at Kawana/Qld. I hope to experience one of those moments for Tampa 2011. I will write about them all here one day. Funnily enough, I have already posted some thoughts on change and ignition here in Change [Inspiration] by Drew Ginn (11 Jun 2010) back on 16 Sep 2010.

I have been lead, inspired, motivated and trained by some Great Coaches and inspired by many of my fellow paddlers. The following photos representing a snippet of some of the great coaches, teams and people I have paddled with.

Geoff, JT and George - George congratulating his team after winning the National Title - my first Regatta - Masters Open Final 500m - 2005 AusDBF National DB Titles - Yarraluma / Canberra (Fri 8 Apr 2005)
Australian Senior Dragon Boat Open, Womens and Mixed Teams - George Dimech, Deb Hirst, Eileen McKechie, Sharyn Whitton, Donna Hughes, Joanne O'Brien, Jo Petterson, Ewen McDonald, Anne Weber, Geoff Eldridge, Ian George, Deb Cooper, Lisa Mills, David Barber, Leon Paap, Rick Lambe, Diana Dent, Lynne Donohoe, Peter McAlister, Gio Cercone, Frank Calcara, Lisa Fairfull, Kristin McKechie, Ashur Barutha, Rob Turnbull, Pam Jeffery, Kaizer Austin, Matt Spies, Ray Debono, Graeme Bacon, Richard Thomson, Murray Pellicciaro, Becky Bose, Willy Paku, Vince Giannetto, Amanda Wyllie, Mark Pendergast, Danny Monga, Charlotte Richards, Helen Hudson, George Louie, Rachel Mosen, Jane Perkins, Rosemary Riley, Fiona Gray, Linda Collins, Rachel Giang, Steve McKeogh, Doreen MacGillivray, Karen Hall (missing) - Racice / Prague - Tue 25 Aug 2009 (picasa)
'Thanks Pacific Dragons - (l-b-f-r) Rachel, Anne, Norm, Kaizer, Jo, Toby, Helen, Gav, Matt, Annett, Di, Dave, Charlotte, Amanda, Becky, Linda, Lisa, Joanne, Michelle, Geoff, Adam, Darren, Graeme, Billy (and Eugene missing)' - Racice / Prague - Thu 27 Aug 2009 (picasa)
Pacific Dragons Family' - (l-b-f-r) Geoff, Graeme, Kaizer, Norm, Lisa, Christian, Darren, Adam, Mark, Todd, Jo, Dave, Matt, Helen, Jenny, Gav, John, Eugene, Kristen, Christoph, PaulC, Mandy, Julia, Craig, Dean, Phil, Toby, Andrew, Shell, Becky, Jo, Bonny, Mel, Kath, Phil, Charlotte, Nicola, Lucy, Di, Dave, Leesa, Rachel, Michelle, PaulS, Suzy, Amanda, Linda, Annett, Billy. - AusDBF 2009 National Dragon Boat Titles - Kawana / Qld - Sun 26 Apr 2009 (picasa)
Marty, Norm, Christian, Todd and Billy - State Titles OC6 Long Course - Ettalong - Sat 09 May 2009 (picasa)
Todd, Julia and Geoff - "Todd always keeps me calm and was my OC6 Coach 2008 and 2009 - Julia has been my DB Coach since 2005, she is so perceptive and knows exactly what to say when it counts the most" - King Street / Newtown (Wed 18 Nov 2009)
Gav and Geoff - we were pretty happy, I had steered the Men's B Crew who had a great race and Gav was Seat 1 in the A Crew which took out the Long Course Men's Title. Gav has also been my DB Coach since 2005. He is a warrior and a legend. - OC6 State Title - Port Stephens (27 Mar 2010)
Joanne, Serge and Geoff - Serge lead the first Auora's Team to the 2010 Asian Champs in Wujin. It was an amazing and formative experience for all us who embraced the changes and new approach. Will never forget the Team huddle after the last race (the 5km turns race) and he told us we were the first Aurora's - no one can take that from us - he was proud of us. - Wujin/China - Sun 2 May 2010
Some more from Durwin Long's post, which introduces Daniel Coyle's concepts termed Ignition and Deep Practice.

Daniel Coyle writes about change when he introduces the concept of ignition in The Talent Code. Simply put, Coyle’s concept of ignition refers to the exact moment when an individual is captivated by a new idea or experience. In turn, that spark of interest crystallizes a goal and motivates action toward that goal. [..]

The transformational change represented by ignition is the precursor to the "deep practice" that Coyle says is also essential for anyone who seeks to achieve excellence. For once a person is committed to a goal because he or she wholeheartedly believes in it, the work required to achieve the goal is no longer a chore but a source of fulfillment.

The last paragraph reminds me of this post - What matters most is what we believe about ourselves - Alain Briot (Dec 2010).