basketball | Journey

Managing Basketball Team Spirit in the Workplace

By Asia Johnson on Thursday, March 9, 2023

March marks the start of spring. It’s also jam-packed with basketball thanks to the NCAA Men and Women’s Division-I Basketball Tournament featuring dozens of college basketball teams competing for top bragging rights.

While it’s a fun time of year for sports fans, some businesses are concerned that employees will be distracted by their game brackets or streaming devices watching games rather than being productive during working hours. A WalletHub article claims businesses lose $13.8 billion annually due to distracted workers during the tournament.

Here are some ideas for encouraging a work environment that is both productive and flexible enough to allow for some sporting pleasure during this time of year. (more…)

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Thrilling Finish Predicted in Job Search Tournament Bracket

By Job Journey on Wednesday, March 8, 2017

The competition to land a new job or score a promotion is fierce. As a job seeker, you have to bring your A-game or you’ll find yourself on the bench. Before the NCAA college basketball tournament tips off later this month, we assembled an all-star line-up of job skills and qualities sought by employers and pitted them head to head in a quest to see which could outlast the competition and emerge as champion.

The Tournament Begins

In our hypothetical scenario, the field began with nearly 30 highly sought attributes chosen from a strong field of abilities and characteristics coveted by employers. We seeded the top 16 according to rankings accumulated from leading hiring managers. It’s important to note that there were many strong contenders who narrowly missed the field of 16, many of which on any given day are strong enough to help score a job. Among them were ambition, independent thinking, strong time management skills, good listener, goal focused, and a proactive mindset.

The Super 16 Battle it Out

As the competition heated up and the field narrowed to the Super 16, our job search tournament began to take shape with desirable skills occupying one side of the bracket and highly sought personal traits dominating the opposite side. A couple of surprise underdogs made the field due to emerging trends in the hiring mindset. Empathy made a strong showing in the bracket, underscoring a desire by many companies to employ a mindful, conscientious workforce. Flexibility also made a solid run for the title, demonstrating a need for employees who can adapt and evolve in a changing work environment. In what many observers viewed as a stunning upset, Writing Skills narrowly edged Computer Skills to advance in the tournament. Pundits suggest that in today’s job market, computer skills are readily expected from an applicant, thus giving the edge to Writing Skills.

The Road to the Favored Four

The field continued to thin as the tournament intensified. Powerful front runners emerged as many contests went down to the final buzzer. In a key match-up, Flexibility continued its strong push to go deep in the field by constantly adapting to changing conditions. However, the “can-do” spirit of Positive Attitude prevailed, refusing to be denied their rightful spot in the Awesome 8. Two favorites of hiring managers, Organization and Dependability both punched their tickets to the next round. However, when the dust settled, only the Favored Four remained to contend for the title of Most Desirable Trait. Set to contend on the “skills” side of the bracket, number one seed Team Player goes up against Problem Solving. The winner will square off against the winner on “attributes” side of the bracket, which pits number one seed Leadership Potential against Work Ethic. The outcome is far from set in stone, as any one of the four could be enough to tip the scale and score the job. Astute observers point out that the likely winner will be the one who can maximize its strengths, as well as adopt the qualities of the other contenders to present a multi-faceted approach.

What do you think? Check out our bracket (click to enlarge) and let us know how you’d fill out the remainder of our Favored Four. Are there early round match-ups you think should have turned out differently? What other skills or traits that should have appeared in the bracket? Tell us in the comments section!

Career Advancement Job Interviews

March Madness: How to Beat the Competition

By Job Journey on Monday, March 30, 2015

If you’re a basketball fan, March is the month for you. March Madness is filled with all your favorite college basketball teams competing to win top bragging rights. It’s a fun time of year, but these teams have put in a lot of hard work to make it to this point. In many ways, March Madness can apply to your job search. Check out these top tips to score a three pointer before the buzzer and beat the competition during your next interview.

1. Have a vision.
What do you want to do in your career? What are your skills and talents? What excites you most about getting up in the morning? Without having a vision for your job search, you won’t know where you are going. Instead of taking a broad approach when it comes to applying for jobs, narrow your search to just those industries and opportunities where you really want to work. Doing so will energize you, make you more productive in the application process, and allow you to speak more directly to why you’re the best for the job.

2. Do your homework.
Before your next interview, make sure you take time to research the company, the position you’ve applied for, and those who will be interviewing you. When you take the time to prepare, you have a wealth of knowledge to use to your advantage. Sadly, job candidates often don’t take the time to do their homework in advance and are ill prepared to answer some of the questions they’re presented, such as talking about what the company does or the duties associated with the job opportunity. Doing a little prep work beforehand automatically gives you an advantage.

3. Condition yourself.
Just like a great athlete, you’ve got to work on your own skills and abilities. In the job search game, your resume is what gets you in the door for an interview. What does your resume currently look like? What does it reflect about you? Before you apply for that next job, update your resume so it’s more targeted to the job. Make sure it shows how your talents match the job. Also, update your cover letter and make sure you always include it with an application. Again, customize this to the job, speaking directly to how you can perform the duties listed in the job description.

4. Find a coach you trust.
In March Madness, coaching is everything. A coach provides direction and leadership to the players, helping them learn where they need to make improvements, make a change, or understand they’ve done a great job. It’s important for you to find a mentor who can do this for you too. Find someone who has experience in your industry of interest and allow them to review your resume and cover letter, conduct a mock interview for you, offer tips and suggestions to ace your big day, etc. No matter what stage you’re at in your career, it’s always important to have a mentor.

5. Be selfless.
It’s not a bad thing to pursue a job opportunity for the impact it can have on your career, income, and overall happiness. But, it’s important those desires don’t overshadow what you can do for a company. Potential employers want to know what you can do for them, not necessarily what they can do for you. They want to ensure you’re not going to be a flight risk, can complete your tasks on time, be a team player, and help advance their business in new ways while finding ways to save money. At your next interview, if you really want to impress the interviewer, let them know how you can add to their team.

These are just a few lessons from March Madness that can help you get a slam dunk in your professional life. Do you have any other suggestions? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Career Advancement

Vision Takes Courage: Tips for Living a Peak Performer’s Life

By Job Journey on Monday, November 10, 2014

Do you have a vision or dream you want to turn into reality? Is your goal of landing a great job something you need to see happen, and quickly? For job seekers, having a strong vision for their careers can sometimes be hindered by life’s roadblocks, from too much competition to a lack of available jobs.

According to former professional basketball player and motivational speaker Walter Bond, your goals don’t have to define where you are in your life. Even if your vision isn’t playing out exactly like you planned, don’t give up. “I want you to understand something very important, before you begin to pursue a new level of success, before you begin to pursue with vigor the next level of your life, your family, your company, your business,” Walter says, “I want you to celebrate where you are right now.”

As part of his year-long series of motivational messages, Walter Bond discusses the importance of courage, a fearless attitude, and perseverance when you’re trying to reach your goals. Check out Walter’s full message on vision and courage below.

Do you sometimes find yourself afraid to follow through with your vision? How do you overcome this hesitancy? Let us know in the comments section below!

About Walter Bond
A former professional basketball player, Walter Bond’s NBA career included 153 games with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Detroit Pistons. Now, Walter takes what he learned from his life on the court and translates it into motivational and educational messages for thriving businesses and careers. With entertaining and dynamic messages, Walter has spoken to companies and associations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe.

For more information about Walter Bond, visit WalterBond.com.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Career Advancement

Think: Tips for Living a Peak Performer’s Life

By Job Journey on Monday, October 6, 2014

Are you so busy with the day-to-day tasks of your life that you aren’t taking time to think about what you’re doing, or if you even enjoy doing it? For job seekers, the monotony of filling out applications, emailing resumes, and perfecting your interview skills can eventually take a toll on how you think about your life each day. The same is true for those new to the career world as they try to work their way up in a company or learn the ins and outs of their work environment.

According to former professional basketball player and motivational speaker Walter Bond, “We work so hard that we don’t have time to think. We don’t have time to use innovation and creativity…We are so busy ‘doing’ that we don’t leave time to think.”

If this sounds like you, don’t panic. Finding yourself so busy that you don’t take time to really think about what you’re doing is something that happens to almost everyone, and it can be reversed with a little effort.

In the first of a year-long series of motivational messages, Walter Bond discusses the importance of making time to stop and think in order to focus on where you are, where you’re going, and where you want to be.

Do you sometimes find yourself so busy with work or in your job search that you don’t allow yourself time to think? Let us know in the comments section below!

About Walter Bond
A former American professional basketball player, Walter Bond’s NBA career included 153 games with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Detroit Pistons. Now, Walter takes what he learned from his life on the court and translates it into motivational and educational messages for thriving businesses and careers. With entertaining and dynamic messages, Walter has spoken to companies and associations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe.

For more information about Walter Bond, visit WalterBond.com.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Tag Archives: basketball

The Tournament Begins

The Super 16 Battle it Out

The Road to the Favored Four