As the one (1) year anniversary of starting my sport consultancy, Athletic Mindset Consulting here in Dubai approached; I took time to grade my actions and plans since July 2016. Grading my business is, in effect; grading myself. Assessing if my actions and plans have been aligned with my personal mission to: Coach While Being. I used Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" as the rubric to evaluate my alignment.

Why Coach John Wooden?

Coach Wooden won 10 National Championships; 21 Conference Championships; coached 13 All Americans and had an 88-game winning streak! Yet, he NEVER mentioned Winning! His philosophy was that "The Journey is Better than the End. Practices are the Journey; the Game is the End." He emphasized "doing the best of which you are capable".

I once heard Coach Wooden say that he didn't recruit players to fit his system; he adjusted his system for the talent of his players. This statement resonated with me. He considered himself a Teacher first; Coach second. This resonates with me. He defined Success as "Peace of Mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable." This is the foundation upon which I base my actions.

I "graded" myself according to Coach Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" (seen here)

My "Grades" (starting at the foundation of the "Pyramid for Success"):

• Industriousness - "Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick, no easy way." I earned an "A" - I met with people throughout the sport industry to learn about how business is conducted in this region and what is needed for Success.
• Friendship - "Strive to build a team filled with camaraderie and respect: comrades-in-arms." I earned an "A" - Through connections made while I was a professor and new connections made since leaving my former employer; I have built a team full of camaraderie.
• Loyalty - "Be true to yourself. Be true to those you lead." I earned a "B". I wasn't 100% "true to myself" by being away from active involvement with sport as a coach/administrator over the 23 months of being in the region. My focus was on aligning with organizations to develop human capital for the region's potential. 
• Cooperation - "Have utmost concern for What's right rather than Who's Right." I earned an "A".
• Enthusiasm - "Your energy, enjoyment, drive, and dedication will stimulate and greatly inspire others." I earned an "A". 
• Self-Control - "Control of your organization begins with control of yourself. Be disciplined." I earned a "B". I veered off course by focusing on the need for a sport culture.
• Alertness - "Constantly be aware and observing. Always seek to improve yourself and the team. I earned an "A". My alertness has brought me to great realizations and refocused efforts.
• Initiative - "Make a decision! Failure to act is often the biggest failure of all." I earned an "A".
• Intentness - "Stay the course. When thwarted try again, harder, smarter; persevere relentlessly. I earned an "A". I left it all out on the court (or in my case, the track)..
• Condition - "Ability may get you to the top; but character keeps you there: mentally, morally and physically." I earned an "A". 
• Skill - "What a leader learns after you've learned it all counts most of all." I earned an "A". The experience of starting a business as a sport consultant in a region virtually untapped has afforded me with sharpened knowledge and appreciation of sport to a culture.
• Team Spirit - "The star of the team is the team. 'We' supersedes 'Me'" I earned an "A". Perhaps the BEST move I made the entire year of Athletic Mindset Consulting was to become a member of a national team to revise the occupational handbook; and develop continuing education units as part of a national pilot project. 
• Poise - "Be Yourself. Don't be thrown off by events whether good or bad." I earned an "A". The strengthening of my poise over the past 23 months has been greater than I could have ever scripted for myself.
• Confidence - "The strongest steel is well-founded self-belief; it is earned, not given." I earned an "A". Though there were times I felt like I was faltering; I was steadying myself.
• Competitive Greatness - "Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each day." I earned an "A".