Training Camp E-Book

Jon Gordon

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Jon Gordon
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 160

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

More than 200,000 copies sold!

A business fable about excellence – from the bestselling author of The Energy Bus and The No Complaining Rule

In the spirit of his international bestseller The Energy Bus, Jon Gordon returns with another inspirational business fable filled with invaluable lessons and insights on bringing out the best in leaders and teams.

Training Camp follows the story of Martin Jones, a five-foot-seven rookie trying to make it to the bright lights and big money of the NFL. He's spent his whole life proving to the critics that a small guy with a big heart can succeed against all odds. After spraining his ankle in the preseason, Martin thinks his dream is lost. Just then he happens to meet a very special coach who shares nine life-changing lessons that keep Martin's dream alive…and might even make him the best of the best.

Based on his work with professional sports teams, world-class sales organizations, and interviews with top professionals in a wide variety of fields, Gordon reveals the deep truths and proven strategies that get the best to the top of their game.

Training Camp shows how the very best performers–whether it be in sports or in business–all share the same nine qualities. Among other traits, the best of the best are able to maintain a big-picture vision while taking zoom-focused actions, they are mentally stronger, they inspire excellence in the people around them, and they become the model by which others measure themselves.

For anyone who wants to make it to the top of their field, Training Camp is a practical life-changing story with simple wisdom about what true excellence requires–and how anyone can achieve it.

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Praise for Training Camp

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Kickoff

Chapter 2: Ankle Sprain

Chapter 3: Press Conference

Chapter 4: Pain

Chapter 5: The Phone Call

Chapter 6: Treatment

Chapter 7: Questions

Chapter 8: On the Sideline

Chapter 9: The Playbook

Chapter 10: The Telescope

1. The Best know what they truly want.

2. The Best want it more.

3. The Best are always striving to get better.

Chapter 11: Continuous Improvement

Chapter 12: The Benefits of a Coach

Chapter 13: The Myth

Chapter 14: The Game-Day Principle

Chapter 15: Ten Percent Better

4. The Best do ordinary things better than everyone else.

Chapter 16: The Microscope

5. The Best zoom-focus.

Chapter 17: Mental Zoom-Focus

Chapter 18: Patience

Chapter 19: Mental Toughness

6. The Best are mentally stronger.

Chapter 20: Twenty Ways to Get Mentally Tough

Chapter 21: A Bad Day

Chapter 22: Heal Strong

Chapter 23: Feeling Better

Chapter 24: Preparation

Chapter 25: The Cut

Chapter 26: Faith

Chapter 27: The Fishing Trip

7. The Best overcome their fear.

Chapter 28: Story and Belief

Chapter 29: Tests

Chapter 30: Pressure

Chapter 31: Seize the Moment

8. The Best seize the moment.

Chapter 32: The Breaking Point

9. The Best tap into a power greater than themselves.

Chapter 33: The Spotlight

Chapter 34: Celebration

Chapter 35: Final Cuts

Chapter 36: Leave a Legacy

10. The Best leave a legacy.

Chapter 37: The Day

Chapter 38: The Coin

Chapter 39: The Final Lesson

11. The Best make everyone around them better.

Chapter 40: A New Beginning

Appendixes

The Energy Bus Training Program

Other Books by Jon Gordon

Praise for Training Camp

“Inspiration on every page. I picked this book up and couldn’t put it back down. It will help you become the best you can be.”

—Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church; Author, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

“Training Camp is a winner. Reading this book has inspired me to work harder, lead better, and leave a lasting legacy. Once again, Jon delivers a message that will have a life-changing impact on those who read it.”

—Todd Gothberg, Vice President, Volvo Construction Equipment

Copyright © 2009 by Jon Gordon. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Gordon, Jon, 1971— Training camp : what the best do better than everyone else / by Jon Gordon. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-470-46208-9 (cloth : acid-free paper) 1. Success. 2. Struggle. I. Title. BJ1611.2.G67 2009 650.1–dc22 2009007452

For Kathryn,

you give me strength.

For Jade and Cole,

always strive to be your best and bring out the best in others.

Acknowledgments

I am thankful for all the people who have encouraged, empowered, and coached me through the training camp of life. Without them this book would not have been written.

Thank you to my wife Kathryn for bringing out the best in me. I’m thrilled that the lessons in this book have dramatically improved your performance on the tennis court. Wimbledon, here we come!

Thank you to my agent Daniel Decker, who has provided invaluable support over the years.

Thank you to Matt Holt, Shannon Vargo, and the amazing team at John Wiley & Sons for your skill, talent, hard work, and support. You are the best publishing team on the planet.

Thank you to the special coaches and teachers throughout my life—2014;Ivan Goldfarb, Tony Ciozza, Ed Ehmann, and Richie Moran.

Thank you to Coach Mike Smith, Tony Boselli, Pete Carroll, Jeff Gordon, Danny Gans, Alvin Pearman, Tom McManus, and many others for sharing your ideas and thoughts with me.

Thank you to Kathryn Gordon, Daniel Decker, Jennifer Malhotra, Christina Kisley, Jason Pogue, Mike Norris, and Ben Newman for reviewing the manuscript and helping me make it the best it could be.

Thank you to Erwin McManus, Rob Bell, and Ken Blanchard for guiding me on my faith journey. Your life example and your teachings have changed my life.

Most of all I’d like to thank the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You are the power behind my words, the creative genius behind this book, and the love that flows through me. You are the ultimate coach and trainer who has and continues to train me, mold me, and develop me to be my best and to bring out the best in others.

Introduction

Before the 2008 NFL season, Mike Smith, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator, was hired to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. They had won only four games the previous year and Coach Smith was charged with improving the culture and turning the team around. As summer approached, Coach Smith called me and told me that he was having all the coaches and players read my book The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy and invited me to speak to the team during training camp. I had met Coach Smith the year before while speaking to the Jacksonville Jaguars during their 2007 training camp.

The same week that I was to speak to the Atlanta Falcons I was also scheduled to speak to a financial services company that was regarded by many as having the best sales team in the financial industry. As I prepared for these talks I thought a lot about what I should say that would benefit them. After all, I would be talking to people who had reached the pinnacle of their industry. On one hand you had the best football players in the world. On the other hand you had the best salespeople in the world.

As part of my preparation I interviewed the top sales-people from the financial services company and while I was expecting to hear some new sales techniques that I hadn’t heard before, I discovered there wasn’t any secret formula to their success. They told me they simply worked hard, focused on the fundamentals, stayed positive, and had a great desire to succeed and make an impact. These were the same things I had heard from the best professional athletes I knew and from all the people I had interviewed over the years that were considered the best in their field.

This inspired a series of thoughts about what makes someone great in their field of work. I discovered that the best of the best, whether they’re salespeople, athletes, teachers, nurses, entrepreneurs, musicians, and so on, share a number of similar characteristics. There is a formula for success. There are things that the best do that others don’t and things that they do better than everyone else. There is a way that the best of the best approach their life and work and craft that differentiates them from others. This formula is predictable, repeatable, and simple to understand, but it’s a process and it requires initiative, dedication, focus, and loads of positive energy.

As I left the Falcons’ training camp after my talk and headed to the airport, the idea for this book popped into my head. I heard the words Training Camp loud and clear, from God’s mouth to my ears. I knew I was supposed to share the principles and lessons in this book, not with just athletes but with anyone in any field who strived to be their best. While this story takes place in a sports setting, I hope you realize it’s a life story that applies to you, your team, your co-workers, your family and kids.

I have even shared the lessons from this book with my daughter, Jade, and son, Cole. My hope is that when they are in high school and college this book will serve as a playbook for their lives and inspire them to strive for excellence in whatever career path they choose.

In this spirit, as you go through the training camp of your life, I hope that wherever you are on your journey, that this book will also inspire you to strive to be your best and bring out the best in your team—2014;your work team, your sports team, your family team, your church team, and your school team. After all, life is a team sport.

Leave a Legacy

Jon