Author Archives: Matt Doherty

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill Embrace failure. Celebrate failure. Sounds crazy? I love John Maxwell’s book Failing Forward. I studied in John’s pro- gram and learned a great deal. He states, “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception and response to failure.”Continue reading “Failure”

“Life is not fair. Get used to it.”—Bill Gates 212 I was proud of the way I emotionally managed the 8-20 season. I never placed blame on the players or the previous staff. A leader needs to be out front and handle criticism in a professional manner. You have to lead with grace in timesContinue reading “Adversity (Excerpt from Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned)”

“It is easy to hire, hard to fire.” – Matt Doherty First of all, when taking over a new organization, you needto give your employees a clean slate. They may just need a fresh start. You would hate to overlook some gems. Wouldn’t you want to be treated that way? If I listened to otherContinue reading “Hire Right”

“The Bridge” is a long winding road with a hefty emotional toll. There are many treacherous curves without guardrails. It was easy to drive off into “The Bitter River.” Plus, the toll was so hefty I wasn’t sure I wanted to even try to cross “The Bridge.” I was raised to say the right thingContinue reading “The Bridge Over The Bitter River (Excerpt from Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned)”

Model the behavior you want from your team. If you don’t model it, but you demand it, you are a fraud! “RTCP.” Showing respect, clean up after yourself, show up on time, give people your full attention, follow up in a timely manner, etc. Consistency is critical, as once people witness you doing something wrong,Continue reading “Model the Behavior (Excerpt from Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned)”

I had to learn to forgive others. They were “renting space” in my head and my soul. Selfishly, forgiveness is the best thing one can do because it is freeing. If Jesus could forgive the men who crucified him, I could forgive people that I felt may have wronged me. In addition, I needed to forgiveContinue reading “Forgiveness (Excerpt from “Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned”)”

Put systems in place to ensure that your organization is run as efficiently as possible. Learn from others who have run successful organizations. Have a daily plan. This guards against slippage and distractions. Prioritize your time because it is such a valuable resource that can’t be wasted. Write down your most important daily tasks andContinue reading “Organization (Excerpt from “Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned”)”

What did I learn at The Park?  (From the book Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lesson Learned) I learned about meritocracy. Meritocracy is defined as a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement. Skin color didn’t matter. Income didn’t matter. Your ability to help aContinue reading “Lessons from The Park”

Serve the people around you and the community in which you work. That is servant leadership. When I think of a servant leader I think of Dean Smith. He always looked for ways to serve the people around him – his assistants, his players and his community. In the 1960s as an assistant coach atContinue reading “Ingredients of a Good Leader: Servant”