WARRIORS LEAVE THEIR MARK

"Each warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on the important acts he touches. This is not the voice of ego but the human spirit, rising up and declaring that is has something to contribute. In every contest, there comes a moment that separates winning from losing. The true warrior understands and seizes the moment by giving an effort so intense and so intuitive that if could only be called one from the heart."

-Pat Riley

THE DISEASE OF ME

When he was with the Los Angeles Lakers, Pat Riley, president of the Miami Heat, developed a list of symptoms that he called the “Disease of Me.”

SIX DANGER SIGNALS OF THE DISEASE OF ME:

1. CHRONIC FEELINGS OF UNDER-APPRECIATION – FOCUS ON ONESELF.

2. PARANOIA OVER BEING CHEATED OUT OF ONE’S RIGHTFUL SHARE.

3. LEADERSHIP VACUUM RESULTING FROM FORMATION OF CLIQUES AND RIVALRIES.

4. FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION EVEN WHEN THE TEAM PERFORMS SUCCESSFULLY.

5. PERSONAL EFFORT MUSTERED SOLELY TO OUTSHINE ONE’S TEAMMATE.

6. RESENTMENT OF THE COMPETENCE OF ANOTHER – REFUSE TO ADMIT HIS CONTRIBUTION.

PAT RILEY

Pat Riley was once a marginal NBA player. He told sports writer David Halberstam what Lakers General Manager Fred Schaus told him:

"Do you want a job on this team?" Schaus said. "Your job is to keep the starters Jerry West and Jimmy McMillan in shape, to push them very hard every day in practice. Don't back off and make them work hard."