The First, Not the Lasts

Josh BairdLeadership

My son is a senior this year. There’s a constant litany running through my head: last game. Last tackle. Last rebound. Last three-pointer. This is the last year I’ll get to watch him play. We spend a lot of time and energy on the destination: the varsity team, the college team. We focus on where we’re going rather than on … Read More

The One Quality Great Teammates Have in Common

Tim Hillerblog, Guest Post, Leadership, Team, Teamwork

During my playing career, every football program I’d ever been a part of was about seniority, more so than service. Sophomores carried the water and equipment, seniors ordered them around. A coming of age meant more bossing around and less busy work. Admittedly, I ran my program this way my first season as a head coach. It was what I … Read More

The Lessons We Can Learn from Great Athletes

Tim Hillerblog, Guest Post, Leadership

Development is a term we hear thrown around a lot, but what does it mean? Progress? Growth? Learning? At Next Level we believe development is building. Building complete people – young men and women who are great leaders, students, athletes, and servants of others. There is a new house being built in my neighborhood, adjacent to my property. Brick by … Read More

Mastering the Art of Tough Love

Amber Bairdblog, Guest Post, Leadership

Repost from Growing Leaders by Tim Elmore Recently, I blogged about how parenting has become a “religion” in America, where children have become the absolute centerpiece of the home and nothing negative can be said about them. Yep. Some time between our childhood and the moment we had children of our own, parenthood became a religion. As with many religions, … Read More

Six Benefits of Margin in a Student’s Life

Amber Bairdblog, Leadership

Repost from Growing Leaders by Tim Elmore A month ago, I attempted to build a case for margins in our lives — both for us leaders and for our students. We need margins in order to become fully alive and to become the best versions of ourselves. I am not the first to say it, but it’s true: we live … Read More

Building The Complete Person

Tim Hillerblog, Leadership, Next Level Performance, Uncategorized

“For physical training is of some value…”  1 Timothy 4:8 He leaned forward and slid the piece of paper toward me with two hands and then leaned back in his chair again, folding his arms across his chest. Finally he broke the awkward silence by dropping a bomb. “Tim…we’re going to have to let you go.” Just like that, in a … Read More

The Case for Margin in a Student’s Life

Amber Bairdblog, Guest Post, Leadership

Repost from Growing Leaders by Tim Elmore I’ve noticed a subtle pattern in college and high school students. I wonder if you’ve seen it too. Over the past year, I’ve marveled at what kids find humorous. At times, I’m startled at the misfortunes — even “fails” — that kids watch on YouTube and find funny. Recently, I formed an informal … Read More

The Power of “YET”

Tim Hillerblog, Leadership, Next Level Performance

 By Co-Founder & Director of Athlete Development, Tim Hiller When it comes to working with student-athletes, as we do at Next Level Performance, there are two different approaches to coaching, mentoring, and developing future leaders—a performance approach or a mastery approach. These terms were developed by Dr. Amber Strain, the Senior Director of Cognitive Science at Decooda, and as you’ll … Read More

Chris Borland: A Case Study in Long-Term Thinking

Amber Bairdblog, Leadership

Repost from Growing Leaders by Tim Elmore Today—I’d like to start a conversation. It’s about long-term thinking, and it’s inspired by a move that NFL player Chris Borland recently made. There is a deeper principle behind the move… and it has two sides to it. I want to know your thoughts. Perhaps you heard the news: San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris … Read More

Helping Athletes Navigate a Short-Term, Shortcut Mindset

Amber Bairdblog, Guest Post, Leadership, Next Level Performance

Repost from Growing Leaders by Tim Elmore I just spoke at an event for NCAA coaches and staff. During the day, I took part in a conversation about how coaches have changed their approach to recruiting and leading high school athletes, now that the TGIF Generation (Twitter, Google, Instagram and Facebook) has emerged. Coaches face challenges they didn’t have to … Read More