Norman Black

This article was taken from the PSBank InfoChannel. Norman Black, coach of the Ateneo Blue Eagles was invited to give a speech to the officers of the Bank during one of our Financial Reviews. He was accompanied by his mother.

Last January 28, a different kind of energy permeated the PSBank Hall.

The audience, composed of branch and area heads, department and unit heads, and senior officers, were 100% engaged, enlightened and entranced by a man who shared his wisdom, knowledge and personal experiences to kick off the first Financial Review of the year with a bang.

This man of great credibility and confidence was none other than Mr.Norman Black, former PBA player and coach and now PBA analyst and head coach of the renowned Ateneo Blue Eagles that won the UAAP season 71 crown through sheer hard work, discipline and motivation. As guest speaker and “honorary head coach” of PSBank for an hour, Coach Norman shared very important and useful tips to inject our own 2009 season with enthusiasm and team spirit.

A regular kid from Baltimore, Maryland, USA who didn’t start growing to his towering height until after he turned 14 years old, he said that he had to work hard to get to where he is now.

“I wasn’t as talented as my sister who got straight As or my basketball teammates in high school and college. I set goals and worked hard to achieve them. I studied well and came to basketball practice an hour and a half earlier than everybody else so I could run 15 rounds around the court and shoot 300 times to improve my game. By the time my other teammates arrived 10 or 15 minutes before the allotted time, I already felt more confident thinking I’m now an hour and a half better than them,” he said.

Indeed, Coach Norman always gave his 100%, allowing him to go on from success to success. He became an NBA player for the Detroit Pistons before taking his talents and work ethic to PBA. His most unforgettable stint was as playing coach of San Miguel Beer in 1989 where they scored a rare grand slam, the 3rd in PBA history. He then went on to become fulltime coach of other PBA teams and of the Philippine Team to the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games before finally setting his sights on the college circuit.

He advised PSBankers to always prepare and be in a position to be #1. “Do things (you have to do to improve) when people aren’t watching. Do your homework. This makes the difference. You must put in the much-needed hard work that develops you into a better player,” he said.

He also encouraged the team to bring enthusiasm to the job. “Say to yourself, I want to be with my team everyday. Enjoy. Work hard,” he shared. He also advised them to set short and long-term goals that are realistic, to always stay organized, and to not put things off.

Here are Coach Norman’s tips to achieve PSBank’s goals this year and beyond:

· Build self-esteem.

· Set demanding goals.

· Always be positive.

· Establish good habits.

· Develop the art of communication.

· Thrive on pressure.

· Learn from adversity.

· Survive success.

Finally, he told them this secret: “A good leader motivates his team to succeed. You can’t succeed by yourself. You need people around you.”

Indeed, the PSBank team went home with a lighter heart and a fired-up spirit after that event. May that old Black magic be here to stay in PSBank.

Some of the things I noted down, which were not included in the article were his insight and his stories. He mentioned that one has to have determination to succeed in spite adversities. He admonished that one has to bring a sense of enthusiasm to the task at hand. He admitted that when they scout for basketball talents, they look at the (a) athletic ability, (b) skill level and (c) attitude. He reiterated that it was important the person feels good about himself and that he have good work ethics.

There is no substitute for hard work, he said. He relayed how he would practice over and above the required hours. This way, when it was time to play, he had shot more hoops and ran more laps than any of the other players. On communication, he said that it is not just about talking, it is also about listening. He insisted that problems should be confronted immediately. As his talk drew to an end, his "survive success" portion reminded us not to stand still. He advised to keep striving to learn more.

A leader, he said, is someone who can motivate others to succeed.

So far, Ateneo is doing great in the UAAP. With a coach like Norman Black, it is not too difficult to understand why.