Best lax goals. Mac O’Keefe’s Record-Breaking Performance: Redefining NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Goal Scoring

How did Mac O’Keefe become the all-time leading goal scorer in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. What makes O’Keefe’s shooting style so effective. Why is this achievement significant for Penn State’s lacrosse program.

The Historic Moment: O’Keefe Surpasses Guterding’s Record

On April 16, 2021, Penn State’s Mac O’Keefe etched his name in the annals of college lacrosse history. In a thrilling match against Michigan, O’Keefe scored his 213th career goal, surpassing Duke’s Justin Guterding to become the all-time leading goal scorer in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse.

The record-breaking goal came midway through the second quarter. O’Keefe received a pass from teammate Luke Mercer, executed a face dodge to create space, and unleashed a signature low-to-high shot that found the top right corner of the net. The moment was punctuated by the distinctive “ping” of the ball hitting the goal, a sound that has become synonymous with O’Keefe’s prolific scoring ability.

O’Keefe’s Journey to Lacrosse Greatness

Mac O’Keefe’s path to becoming the most prolific goal scorer in Division I history is a testament to his dedication, skill development, and the support of the Penn State lacrosse program. Over his four-plus seasons with the Nittany Lions, O’Keefe has consistently demonstrated an uncanny ability to find the back of the net.

Key Factors in O’Keefe’s Success:

• Exceptional shooting accuracy
• Ability to create space and find scoring opportunities
• Strong chemistry with teammates, particularly former Penn State star Grant Ament
• Consistency and durability throughout his college career

How has O’Keefe managed to maintain such a high level of performance throughout his collegiate career. His success can be attributed to a combination of natural talent, relentless practice, and a deep understanding of offensive lacrosse strategies.

The Anatomy of O’Keefe’s Shooting Technique

What sets Mac O’Keefe apart as a shooter in college lacrosse. His shooting technique is a blend of power, accuracy, and deception. O’Keefe’s ability to vary his shot placement and release point makes him incredibly difficult for goalkeepers to read.

Key Elements of O’Keefe’s Shooting Style:

1. Quick release
2. Ability to shoot accurately from multiple angles
3. Masterful use of fakes and dodges to create shooting lanes
4. Exceptional off-ball movement to find open spaces

O’Keefe’s signature “elevator” shot, which starts low and rises sharply, has become one of his most potent weapons. This shot, combined with his ability to shoot accurately while on the run, makes him a constant threat on the field.

Impact on Penn State’s Lacrosse Program

O’Keefe’s record-breaking performance is not just a personal achievement; it’s a milestone for the entire Penn State lacrosse program. How has O’Keefe’s success contributed to the growth and prominence of Penn State lacrosse.

During O’Keefe’s tenure, Penn State has seen a rise in its national profile, including:

• Two NCAA tournament appearances
• A No. 1 ranking in 2019
• A Final Four run in 2019

O’Keefe’s decision to return for the 2021 season, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates his commitment to the program and his desire to leave a lasting legacy.

The Significance of the Goal-Scoring Record

Why is O’Keefe’s achievement so significant in the context of college lacrosse. Breaking the all-time goal-scoring record is a testament to both individual excellence and longevity. It requires a player to maintain a high level of performance over multiple seasons, facing increasingly sophisticated defensive strategies designed to neutralize their scoring threat.

The previous record holder, Justin Guterding of Duke, set a high bar with 212 career goals. O’Keefe’s ability to surpass this mark underscores his exceptional talent and the evolving nature of offensive lacrosse at the collegiate level.

Reaction from the Lacrosse Community

How did the lacrosse world respond to O’Keefe’s historic achievement. The reaction was immediate and overwhelmingly positive, with congratulations pouring in from teammates, alumni, and figures across the sport.

Notable Reactions:

• Grant Ament, former Penn State teammate: “Greatest of all time. Proud to call you a teammate and friend for life.”
• Chris Hogan, Penn State alum and NFL player: “Congrats brother!! We are!”
• Micah Shrewsberry, Penn State basketball coach: “Congrats to @MacOKeefe on his accomplishment.”

The widespread recognition from both within and outside the lacrosse community highlights the significance of O’Keefe’s achievement and its impact on the sport as a whole.

O’Keefe’s Performance Beyond the Record

How did O’Keefe perform in the game after breaking the record. Far from resting on his laurels, O’Keefe continued to dominate the game against Michigan. He finished the match with an impressive stat line:

• 6 goals
• 2 assists
• Game-winning goal in overtime

O’Keefe’s clutch performance in overtime, scoring the game-winner with just seconds remaining in the period, demonstrates his ability to deliver in high-pressure situations. This mental toughness and consistency are key factors in his record-breaking career.

The Future of Goal Scoring in NCAA Lacrosse

What does O’Keefe’s achievement mean for the future of goal scoring in college lacrosse. As the new benchmark for excellence, O’Keefe’s record of 217 goals (and counting) sets a high bar for future players to aspire to.

Several factors may influence the pursuit of this record in the coming years:

• Evolving offensive strategies in college lacrosse
• Improvements in stick technology and player training
• Potential changes to NCAA rules or game formats
• The increasing depth of talent in college lacrosse programs nationwide

Will O’Keefe’s record stand for years to come, or will the continued evolution of the sport lead to new scoring phenoms capable of challenging this impressive mark. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: Mac O’Keefe’s name will be forever etched in the history of college lacrosse.

As the 2021 season continues, lacrosse fans will undoubtedly keep a close eye on O’Keefe’s goal tally, wondering just how high he can set the new scoring benchmark. Regardless of the final number, O’Keefe’s legacy as one of the greatest goal scorers in NCAA history is secure, serving as an inspiration for young players and a testament to the exciting, high-scoring nature of modern college lacrosse.

NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Highlights – Goals On Goals On Goals

With the division I, II, and III NCAA men’s lacrosse seasons in full swing, more and more great highlight packages are surfacing on the interwebs each week. We’ve brought them all together to here to serve you up your fix. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the games!

NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Highlights, March 11-14

Here’s what to expect:

I love lax.

• Princeton vs. Rutgers
• Johns Hopkins vs. Towson
• Syracuse vs. St. John’s
• Harvard vs. Penn State
• UMBC vs. Marist
• Vermont vs. Sacred Heart
• Cornell vs. Virginia
• Richmond vs. Jacksonville
• Brown vs. Michigan
• Army vs. NJIT
• Delaware vs. Binghamton
• Bowdoin vs. Williams
• SUNY Cortland vs. R.I.T.
• Dickinson vs. Widener

Princeton vs. Rutgers

Johns Hopkins vs. Towson

Syracuse vs. St. John’s

Harvard vs. Penn State

UMBC vs. Marist

Vermont vs. Sacred Heart

Cornell vs. Virginia

Mac O’Keefe Sets D-I Men’s Lacrosse All-Time Goals Record

Mac O’Keefe Sets D-I Men’s Lacrosse All-Time Goals Record

Fri Apr 16 2021 | Matt Hamilton | College

PHOTO BY CRAIG HOUTZ/PENN STATE ATHLETICS

Penn State’s Mac O’Keefe eclipsed Duke’s Justin Guterding for the most goals in NCAA Division I history. He finished with six goals and two assists and scored the OT winner in a 14-13 win Friday over Michigan. The record is now 217 and counting.

Ping.

It’s the sound that ignites sidelines and causes Lacrosse Twitter to lose their collective minds. It’s also a sound that Penn State sharpshooter Mac O’Keefe is used to hearing at this point in his career.

Through four-plus seasons with the Nittany Lions, O’Keefe has established himself as the top shooter in college lacrosse — combining a knack for finding space and room with pinpoint accuracy.

O’Keefe used that same formula to make history Friday at Panzer Stadium. He opened Penn State’s matchup against Michigan with a low-to-low strike — goal No. 212 in his career, tying him with Duke’s Justin Guterding Division I men’s lacrosse’s all-time record — less than three minutes into the game.

The buzz surrounding the impending milestone grew through the next 20 minutes of game time. Being face-guarded by the Wolverines, O’Keefe had few chances to set the mark until midway through the second quarter.

Penn State held possession with less than eight minutes left in the half, when Luke Mercer tossed the ball to O’Keefe some 10 yards away from the cage. O’Keefe face dodged his defender and launched a low-to-high, elevator shot that torched the top right corner of the goal, eliciting the noise that has become synonymous with the NCAA’s new Division I scoring king.

Ping.

Did you expect O’Keefe to break the record  any other way?

“Let the Lions roar,” announced play-by-play voice Joe Beninati on the Big Ten Network. “Mac O’Keefe, the greatest goal scorer in Division I men’s lacrosse history.” 

GOAL NO.

What a way to do it. A top-shelf rip gives @PennStateMLAX’s O’Keefe the all-time @NCAALAX Division I men’s goals record, passing Justin Guterding. pic.twitter.com/RdPyBtRuOE

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 16, 2021

Within minutes of scoring goal No. 213, Penn State fans and alumni flooded social media with congratulations — while O’Keefe continued to score against Michigan.

“Greatest of all time,” tweeted Penn State legend Grant Ament, who set up a large portion of O’Keefe’s goals. “Proud to call you a teammate and friend for life. Congrats 3, love you brother.”

“Congrats brother!! We are!” tweeted Penn State alum and current PLL hopeful Chris Hogan.

“Congrats to @MacOKeefe on his accomplishment,” said newly hired Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry.

As soon as the historic shot hit the back of the cage, a weight was lifted for O’Keefe. He played calm and loose throughout the second half, helping Penn State come back to force overtime. He had five goals in regulation.

It came as no surprise that the Nittany Lions looked to the hot hand during the first overtime period. With seconds remaining in the period, Mark Sickler, standing at x, sent a pass to an open O’Keefe at the top of the offensive zone. Two seconds was all the time O’Keefe needed to catch, load and fire home the game-winner to seal a 14-13 win on a night was as much a coronation as it was a Big Ten thriller

O’Keefe decided last spring to return to Penn State for the 2021 season, hoping to continue the success that he contributed to over the previous four seasons. O’Keefe and Ament helped Penn State advance to two NCAA tournaments — including a 2019 season that featured a No. 1 ranking and a final four run.

Although Penn State’s season has not gone as expected — the Nittany Lions currently sit at 3-6 — those in Happy Valley have something to celebrate.

NOTABLE RESULTS

• Mike McCannell dropped five goals to lead No. 13 Stony Brook to the 22-8 win over Binghamton.

• Robert Morris won its third straight game, getting two goals from Ryan Smith, Colton Lidstone and Brandon Sulhoff to get past Bucknell 8-7. 

SCORES

No. 8 Lehigh 18, Lafayette 11
No. 13 Stony Brook 22, Binghamton 8
Penn State 14, Michigan 13 (OT)
Robert Morris 8, Bucknell 7
Albany, Vermont (PPD)

The 10 Best Lacrosse Goals 2020 – Bestgamingpro

The 10 Best Lacrosse Goals 2020

Best Lacrosse Goalie Metrics To Judge Our Performance

Ultimately, lacrosse is a team sport and the only metric that matters is the scoreboard. Did we win or lose?

But it is useful to understand how well our goalie is playing.

And when it comes to judging goalie’s play with metrics, one king reigns supreme: save percentage.

But is this the best lacrosse goalie metric for which to judge our keeper’s play? If one goalie has a save percentage of 60% and another has 50%, is the first goalie always better?

In this post, let’s explore those questions and come up with a metric better suited to judge our play in goal.

Years ago in a game against Chico St. with our team trailing by a single goal and only 30 seconds left in the game, our coach called timeout.

He drew up the defensive play and it involved the ice hockey equivalent of pulling the goalie (me). By rule, 1 goalie must be on the field so I was assigned with face guarding a middie while we double-teamed the ball with two long poles.

The attacker ended up splitting the double team (doh!) and put the ball in the open goal.

We ended up losing the game which stinks but the reason I bring up the story is to talk about an outdated metric.

You see in that case my save percentage went down. I was face guarding my man at the top of the box and my save percentage took a hit.

Goalies that play on poor defensive teams often see a very high number of inside shots that are much more difficult to stop than a contested 15-yard piece of popcorn from outside. Is save percentage a fair metric to use to judge a goalie who defense allows nothing but shots on the doorstep?

Unfortunately, save percentage doesn’t tell the whole story.

Rather than rely on save percentage as the end-all be-all lacrosse goalie metric to judge our performance, I recommend using this system which I learned from Coach Jon Weston.

I call it the Goalie Game Score (GGS) and  my version of the GGS works like this:

Award positive points for good plays:

• + 1 for a stuff (a save in close or one that you don’t expect him/her to make)
• + 1 for starting a fast break that results in a uneven number on the other end
• + 1 for a ground ball, pickoff, run-out or save of a wide shot
• +3 for >10 saves in a game
• + 5 for >20 saves in a game

Award minus points for poor plays:

• -1 for missing a shot he should save (typically I count this as any shot that goes in from outside of 8-10 yards).
• -1 for a blown clear (poor outlet pass that results in a turnover)
• -1 for a turnover (goalie loses the ball, or steps back into the crease, etc.)

Add these up for the whole game and you will generally find;

• Any minus score for the whole game and the goalie had a bad day
• Any positive score is an ok day
•  + 5 is a good day
• >+5 the goalie was an impact player and probably led the victory.

I’ll track the Goalie Game Score for each game and plot them game by game.

Here I’m looking for trends. Is the goalie getting better?

I think when combined with the other lacrosse goalie metrics I’ll discuss below, GGS will help paint a clearer picture as to how our goalies are performing in the cage.

By no means am I suggesting that we entirely eliminate save percentage. I do feel it is an effective indicator of how the goalie performed.

Calculating save percentage is fairly simple. Take the number of saves / (number of saves + number of goals allowed) and there you have it – lacrosse goalie save percentage.

But it’s an incomplete picture. Like a dating profile pic from a weird angle that starts at the waist. There’s only so much to learn from it and it’s not enough to evaluate the lacrosse goalie as a complete player.

College coaches still heavily focus on save percentage so it’s also an important metric to track. In this way, save percentage is key.

As a rough guide for youth lacrosse, a save percentage below 50% needs to be improved upon and one over 60% is very good.

This will of course differ depending on your level of play. As shooters get stronger and more accurate in the higher levels, a save percentage doesn’t have to be as high to be considered excellent.

The save % leader in the MLL for the 2015 season was Tyler Fiorito at 60.6%.  While the NCAA save percentage leader for the 2014 season was Garret Conaway also with 61.4%.

Similar to GGS, I’ll plot save percentage game by game to ensure our goalies are trending upwards.

There are some data points which I like to track to help determine how our lacrosse goalie is performing and where he/she might need improvement.

Goal View Spread Chart

The first chart I’ll create is a view facing the goal.

For every save, we put an X in the location of the save. Every goal that goes in we’ll put an O. If the shot was a bounce I’ll include a small B next to the X or the O.

This cluster chart will give you a good visual representation of where the goalie is strong and where they might need to improve.

If you see a pattern of many O’s in the off-stick low location, you know you’ll need to step up the drills to work on low shots during practice.

Here is an example of this chart:

This chart doesn’t factor in where the shot was taken from on the field. Hence the reason we use our second chart.

Field View Spread Chart

For this chart, we use an above the field view to determine where on the field shots are coming from.

We’ll use the same system as above, with X’s representing saves, O’s representing goals. For this chart, I also like to include W’s anytime a shot goes wide.

Here is an example:

Using this chart we can calculate our save percentage from different ranges to0. Under 5 yards, 5-10 yards, 10-15 yards. As the shots get further away we should see the goalie’s save percentage get higher.

This chart is also one that can be used to help analyze the defense in general. Are we giving up too many shots <5 yards? Are too many shots coming from the middle and not the low-angle sides. Graphing shots on this type of chart will help answer these questions.

If you have a goalie coach, they should be tracking this data during the game. If you don’t have that luxury, then recruit an injured player or a parent to collect stats specifically related to our goalie.

I use the charts above in addition to tracking goalie game score to help gather all the data we need to judge our goalie’s performance and determine what aspects of his game we can work on.

I put together a printable PDF to give the stat tracker to help them keep accurate data. I’ll print out a copy of this before each game.

To download a free copy of this PDF, simply join my email list. I never spam and you can unsubscribe anytime. You’ll also get a copy of my PDF – 41 Defensive Terms that every goalie should use for free.

There is also a version for the female game that you can get for free if you join the email list.

Nowadays, everyone understands how valuable data is when it comes to sports.

As lacrosse goalies and lacrosse goalie coaches, we should be analyzing as much data as possible to help improve our game.

Save percentage as long been the kingpin metric to determining goalie performance and I agree it is valuable, but we need more.

In addition to save percentage, I encourage you to look at other lacrosse goalie metrics like Goalie Game Score, create a goal and field view scatter charts.

Looking at these metrics will give you a better picture of how you’re playing and also what you need to work on in practice.

Until next time! Coach Damon

How do you use metrics to improve your goalie play? Let me know in the comments. 

Goalie – Statistics – Lacrosse Tips

Lacrosse Tip   | Tagged:
Goalies

Presented by Mike Petrella, Staff

Why do we keep stats?

It is human nature to be competitive. We want to beat our sister at running to the car. We want to eat more shrimp than our brother at our family Christmas Eve family gathering. We strive to win every game, score highest on tests, and be the best. In sports, statistics are the numbers that coaches, players, parents, and fans follow to see who is the best. The real question comes down to what stats really tell us who is the best.

Misleading Numbers

Some people believe the only statistic that matters is how many championships you win. Fran Tarkenton, NFL quarterback, most famously for the Minnesota Vikings, won 342 games in the NFL. Fran is in the NFL Hall of Fame, but never won the Super Bowl. Many say he was a failure because he didn’t win a Super Bowl. The number of wins says something different. What do you think?

Save Percentage, Goals Against.

One of the most misleading statistics in sport to me is save percentage. We all know save percentage is the number of saves made divided by the number of shots on goal. Don’t get me started on shots on goal stats. What makes save percentage and its cousin, goals against average, a poor measure is that neither take into account things like difficulty of the save, strength of the opponent, or what was the situation that lead to the goal or save. How many of us have seen a goalie with a 75% save percentage and say, “Wow that goalie must be really good!” The real question is, did the goalie make 3 saves out of 4 weak shots or 30 saves out of 40 mixed shots? One is more impressive that the other.

Soft Goals

The statistic I am most interested in is what I call “soft goals.” A “soft goal” is a goal given up by a goalie that in my or the goalie’s opinion should have been saved. One example is a shot is taken at the end of a half from 70 yards away that scores. Every goalie should make that save. Lyndsey Munoz of LMLaxtraining.com
dedicated an entire video blog to this concept. I met Lyndsey several years ago via social media. She played at Stanford, has coached at every level of amateur lacrosse, and is respected amongst goalie coaches all over the country. We talk often and our views match on this. After each quarter (for the boys) or half (for the girls) I spend a few minutes going over the soft goals given up. Giving up goals on great shots or defensive breakdowns that leave you in a tough situation to make the save is nothing to be ashamed of. The statistics for goalies don’t tell the whole picture, so don’t let them determine if you are a good goalie. If your “soft goal” statistic is where you and your coach want them, then YOU ARE A GOOD GOALIE. Watch Lyndsey’s video blog if you think I am the only one that thinks this way.

Check out more lacrosse tips and elevate your game for the upcoming season!

The story of Courtney Murphy, the women’s lacrosse goal queen

Courtney Murphy wasn’t supposed to be a Division I record-holder. Heck, Courtney Murphy wasn’t even supposed to play lacrosse for a top-level college team.

Murphy was always on the B squad, the “gold” team, for the Long Island Yellow Jackets, the local girls’ lax club. She went to high school at William Floyd, which won two state titles in football while she was there, but certainly was no bastion for lacrosse. Her sophomore year at Floyd, the Colonials were decent, but then the other stars graduated. The star defender, Octavia Williams, went to Johns Hopkins. The goalie, Chelsey Sidaris, went to Fairfield.

When they left, Murphy had to do it all. Her teammates had never played club. There was no youth program in town. For most of the William Floyd team, high school was the first time they strung up a stick.

“It was so frustrating. I literally hated lacrosse,” she said. “I dreaded going to practice.”

In high school, she played every position. If she lost the draw, she dropped back and played defense to force a turnover. On offense, teams face-guarded her. Her senior year, William Floyd went 3-10. They lost to Northport by 20 goals.

When Stony Brook head coach Joe Spallina first contacted Murphy about playing for the Seawolves, she wasn’t remotely interested. Spallina had built early success at Stony Brook, after bringing stars Claire Peterson and Demmianne Cook over from Adelphi, his previous job. Despite this, Stony Brook still wasn’t seen by most as a top-tier program and Murphy waited for something bigger.

But the traditional “power conference” schools weren’t interested.

Many coaches didn’t see her play, being a B squad club player on a bad high school team. Others were skeptical. They said she was just a “catch-and-shoot” player. They didn’t like her big personality. They doubted her athleticism.

She was interested in Notre Dame, where her older brother Steve played midfield, but when she visited, the coaches wouldn’t grant her a scholarship.

“They were like, ‘Well, you can walk on if you want’,” Murphy laughed.

But Spallina saw something in her. He recruits heavily from the Yellow Jackets, the club that almost all his star players have come from, so he had watched her closely. While her attitude turned off some coaches, it drew him in. On the field, he saw Murphy’s goal-scoring instincts. She knew when to cut, she knew when to dodge. She had a Canadian-type ability to catch anything thrown inside to her. He knew she could fit a specific role in the offense, so Spallina went ahead and made a large offer.

Among schools offering her money, options were thin, and Murphy ultimately chose Stony Brook over Quinnipiac and Fairfield.

“I wasn’t disappointed to go to Stony Brook, but it was hard not getting recruited when my brother went to such a big-name school,” she recalled. “It was kind of just like, ‘oh… I’m going to Stony Brook.’”

Little did she know, agreeing to play for the Seawolves would become the best decision of her life.

When Gail Cummings was scoring goals for Temple University in the 1980’s, women’s lacrosse looked a lot different than it does today. Players didn’t wear protective goggles, but they did wear collared shirts. There were no restraining lines, no sidelines and certainly no shot clock. Conference championships didn’t exist yet, and the NCAA Tournament only had six teams.

On the field in Philadelphia, Cummings was prolific at rolling the crease, where she estimates she scored more than half her goals. She racked up huge numbers: 88 goals in 1987, then 94 in 1988. In her career, she scored 289 times, which set the NCAA record. The mark stood the test of time, lasting three decades, much longer than the points or assists records from the day.

Today, Cummings doesn’t remember the specifics of her record-breaking goal, any game-winner, or any particularly flashy score. There was never any video footage of most of her career. But she does remember missed opportunities from her sophomore and junior years in the Final Four. In each case, Temple was playing Penn State, their state rivals.

In 1986, Cummings and the Owls fell to the Nittany Lions, 8 to 7. In 1987, they lost 7 to 6.

“It was a lot of me thinking, if I had only done this, or if I had only done that,” Cummings said.

Her senior season, Temple reached the mountaintop, with two dominant wins — a five-goal victory over Harvard in the semifinals and an eight-goal victory over Penn State in the title game — en route to the Owls’ only undefeated season in school history.

For Cummings, now the athletic director at Division-III Skidmore College, she remembers the championship more than any individual achievement.

“I didn’t even know I still had the record,” she said last week, before busting out the appropriate cliche. “But records are meant to be broken.”

Jim Harrison / Image Habitat, In / Stony Brook Athletics

It was a chilly, windy April afternoon when the goal finally came. The game was decided before it even began; Stony Brook was on the road against Hartford, whose women’s lacrosse program is in its first year of existence. The Seawolves are first in the country in goal differential; the Hawks are 112th out of 114.

The only question was whether Murphy would break the record. She entered the game with 287 career goals, needing two to tie and three to pass Cummings’ mark.

For weeks, the record had weighed on her and the team. The media asked about it. Spallina and Kim Hillier, the associate head coach, tried to manage it after each game: “How many does Murph have? How far away is she now?”

The same goes for Kylie Ohlmiller’s record pursuits. The Seawolves attacker is on track to pass Jen Adams in career points later this month. The statistics are incredible, but detracted at least a bit from the real focus: bringing a national championship to Long Island

“It definitely wasn’t a burden,” Murphy said. “But it was something I definitely wanted to get over with and move on with the rest of the season.”

Stony Brook led Hartford 6-0 about eight minutes into the first half, and goal number 289 came in the most apropos of ways. Murphy threw a pass out wide to Ohlmiller. With a fake and a hesitation, Ohlmiller froze the young Hawks defense and fed a pass back inside, where Murphy was cutting across the offense left-to-right.

From there, it was the same as it’s ever been. Catch, shoot, finish and celebrate. She fired the shot into the bottom-left corner of the net, and then ran to Ohlmiller, whose arms were already extended for a hug. Of course the goal was “Murphy from Ohlmiller.” Why wouldn’t it be? They were Stony Brook’s Batman and Robin. Hall and Oates. Bossy and Trottier.

Spallina called timeout so the team could celebrate around her and reflect. The NCAA all-time leading goal-scorer played for Stony Brook, a state school, an America East school.

The numbers are unbelievable. Murphy has scored a hat trick in 56 of 78 career games. She’s the only player, male or female, to score 100 goals in a single season.

In 27 career America East conference games, Murphy has 124 goals. In those games, the opposing teams have 123 goals.

But as Spallina says, “It wasn’t always sunshine and roses.” Murphy’s freshman year had highs (her 7-goal debut against Bucknell) and lows (the occasional screaming match on the practice field). The schematic fit was there, and Murphy molded well in the offense, but the drive wasn’t there yet.

Today, Stony Brook has the roster depth to ease its freshmen into the demands of the college game. That 2014 team was young on offense and didn’t have that luxury. For Murphy and fellow freshman Dorrien Van Dyke, it was trial by fire. They were the focal point of the offense right away.

“We threw them right out there,” Spallina said. “Sink or swim. Figure it out.”

Stony Brook was great on paper, winning 17 games, but the team wasn’t yet elite. In a 14-1 loss at home versus Florida, Murphy committed three turnovers and only put one shot on goal. At Vermont, the Seawolves surrendered a 6-3 lead and lost in overtime, a shocking upset. It’s still the last time Stony Brook has lost a conference game.

Murphy realized her potential in the last game of her season against Kayla Treanor’s Syracuse squad, ranked second in the nation, in the NCAA Tournament. From the start, it was an absolute drubbing. Syracuse took a 10-2 lead at halftime and a 12-2 lead shortly thereafter. The Seawolves sideline had a dead energy. The game was over, and for some of the players, their career was over too.

“The goals just added up so quick,” Murphy said. “Most of our team just accepted that it was going to be our last game. But that’s when it came onto my shoulders. I realized then, ‘Wow, I really can carry a team.’ “

Murphy scored four goals in the second half to cut the final margin to 13-6, but more than that, she became hungry. Something sparked in her that day. Spallina saw it. Murphy felt it. She was going to be a superstar.

“If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever. Friendship never ends.”

The Spice Girls pop anthem played 56 times at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in a three-month span in 2016. It was Murphy’s goal song that year, and it seemed to be on loop from the Stony Brook press box.

During that memorable year, Murphy became the only player ever to score 100 goals in a lacrosse season, for either gender. She and Ohlmiller became superstars.

Stony Brook began having autograph sessions after every game, the best attended in the nation. Little girls across Long Island wanted to wear No. 18 and No. 17 to be like Murph or Kylie.

The offense steamrolled opponents. The Seawolves went up 10 goals on UMBC in just eight minutes one game. In another, they beat Stanford, the No. 8 team in the country, 17 to 7. In the month of April, Murphy scored 49 goals, more than some attackers net in their career.

“It was like a storybook,” Spallina said. “She was unguardable.”

But again, the storybook didn’t have a happy ending. Stony Brook came up one goal short in the NCAA Tournament second round, losing again to Syracuse, 7 to 6. The Orange dominated possession, winning 11 of 15 draw controls, and it was too much for the Seawolves offense to overcome.

Murphy was more determined than ever to respond in 2017, but life threw another curveball.

The date was March 5, 2017 and Murphy felt a pop in her knee, as she collapsed to the LaValle Stadium turf. The crowd deafened, as she screamed. Was it pain? No, it was agony.

She lied on the turf as her leg was evaluated. She knew the ACL was torn, and her mind raced in a million directions. Her senior season was over. Was her lacrosse career over? She had a job lined up on Wall Street upon her graduation.

Spallina left his team on the field during halftime and talked to Murphy. “They’ll grant a redshirt,” he said. “You can come back from this. You’ve beaten the odds before.”

Murphy wasn’t sure. She wanted to start her career; she didn’t want to rehab for a year. But at the same time, the hunger was still there. She needed to try to win a national championship. Spallina obviously wanted her to stay, but he knew it was her decision to make, and it was a hard one with a lot of things to weigh.

A few days passed. The team went up to Yale and won a game without her, then she decided to travel down to Florida to support the team in a big game against the Gators.

Stony Brook didn’t play well at all. The defense was a mess, the team was out of sorts. The Gators went on a 9-0 run in the the first half to open up a 15-5 lead. Murphy grabbed Spallina by the arm in the middle of a play.

“I’m fucking coming back.”

It’s after practice on a beautiful spring day at LaValle Stadium, one of the first warm days of the year. Kylie Ohlmiller is sitting on a metal bench on the field in her practice jersey, a little bit sweaty still from practice.

She’s looking out to the empty seats in the stadium, which has a capacity of 12,300 after the latest renovations at the north end. Then she imagines a full crowd. In a month and a half, the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Final Four is going to be there, and Stony Brook plans to play in it, as the host.

“It’s been in the back of our heads a lot this season,” Ohlmiller says.

She points to a spot on the bleachers on the south end. That where she watched Northwestern and Syracuse play for the national championship in 2012.

The Orange lost, 8 to 6, but Kylie remembers watching Michelle Tumolo, one of the players that she “fangirled” about being right out there on the field, eye-black drawn down her cheek, leading the Syracuse offense.

“There’s certain memories that stick out,” Ohlmiller says. “I remember some of her plays, clear as day, from when I watched from the stands. It’s so crazy to know that those roles are reversed now, and they’re looking up to us.”

Murphy was at LaValle for the national championship that year as well (Stony Brook also hosted in 2011). Now it’s up to her and Kylie to make it a reality.

“I would trade any award, any record to hold up a national championship trophy on Stony Brook’s field with Coach Spallina and my teammates,” she said in an autobiographical story she penned herself for the Stony Brook website last November.

It’s her fifth year on the team, and she has nothing to lose. She’s close to graduating with an Master’s in finance. In her down-time she loves playing Fortnite with her boyfriend, a football star. And she’s the most prolific goal scorer in lacrosse history. Life is good for Courtney Murphy.

But it sure would be better if she could bring a national championship to Stony Brook.

Lacrosse, Top 7 Greatest Games Ever Played

Written by Brooks

To choose the greatest lacrosse games ever played is a challenging task given the volume of hair-raising moments over the years. Lacrosse is undoubtedly the fastest game on two feet and breathtaking moments are a dime a dozen. With that, please enjoy this selection of the greatest lacrosse games ever played.

Cornell vs Maryland 1976 National Championship

The 1976 championship was easily the greatest lacrosse game played in the 1970’s. The Cornell vs Maryland 1976 National Championship was packed with legendary players and electrifying moments.

Both teams headed into the title game undefeated, a first in NCAA history. Players on both sides including several legendary Hall of Famers such as Frank Urso (Maryland), Mike French, Richie Moran, and Eamon McEneaney (Cornell).

Frank Urso, Maryland

In front of a large crowd of nearly 8,000 fans at Brown Stadium, Cornell’s Mike French scored 7 goals and had 4 assists. This stellar performance gave undefeated Cornell the 16-13 overtime victory for their 2nd title. Throughout the 1970s, Cornell was dominant in lacrosse with four national championship appearances winning three titles. The 1976 and 1977 teams are often considered to be among the best college lacrosse teams of all time.

Note: During the 1993 terrorist attack of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, Eamon McEneaney who played for this Cornell team, courageously led 65 co-workers to safety. He helped his coworkers create a human chain and guided them all the way down from the 106th floor battling smoke to safety below.

Later in life, Eamon McEneaney’s life was taken in the devastating September 11th World Trade Center terrorist attacks that shook the nation. He was one of nearly 3,000 who perished that somber day. Eamon McEneaney is a hero not only in the lacrosse world, but to all of us. Rest in Peace.

Pictured: Eamon J McEneaney name at the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City.

Syracuse vs Johns Hopkins 1989 National Championship

Commonly referred to as the “The Greatest Lacrosse Game Ever Played”, this match featured legendary icons of the game on both sides. Not to mention, this was the most heated college lacrosse rivalry featuring the best college teams of the time.

Hopkins vs Syracuse ’89

Dave Pietramala and Quint Kessenich represented Hopkins while Paul and Gary Gait, Tom Marechek, and Matt Palumb led Syracuse. In front of over 20,000 fans, the Orange and Blue Jays put on a performance for the ages. The game included so much offensive prowess that highlights are studied to this day. Intense physical defense was also put on display from both teams.

Syracuse ultimately reigned victorious winning the championship title by a one goal margin, 13-12.

Syracuse Championship Celebration

United States vs Canada World Lacrosse Championship Game 1998

The 1998 World Lacrosse Championship final between Canada and the United States was held at Homewood Field in Baltimore. It was the gold medal game and has been often cited as the greatest field lacrosse game of all time. If not, it was certainly the best game ever played at the national level.

Names of note from the Canadian squad included Gary and Paul Gait, John Grant Jr., Tom Marachek, and Chris Gill. Leading the US team were the likes of Casey Powell, Mark Millon, and Jesse Hubbard amongst many talented players.

Team Canada with the ball

The US came out firing early in the game and ended up taking a commanding lead in the 3rd quarter. The score was 11-1 by the middle of the 3rd quarter. With a 10 point lead, the US team must have been feeling quite confident, perhaps a little cocky. Letting their guard down and taking their foot off the pedal, the Canadian squad stormed back in the 3rd and 4th quarters with a flurry of goals to cut the US lead down to 13-10. Then with the final two minutes on the line, the Canadian squad was able to tie the game up with three unanswered goals to send the game into OT at 13-13.

USA vs Canada 1998

In the end, the US squad was able to triumph with a one goal lead for the victory at the end of double overtime play. The final score was 15-14 over Canada.

Key note: Sal LoCasio made an astonishing 32 saves for the US, with five in the overtime periods.

Princeton vs Syracuse 2001 National Championship

Princeton and Syracuse, two teams with a long history of rivalry prior to this matchup would meet again in the National Championship in 2001. Two freshmen attackmen were the focal points of each team. For Princeton, it was Ryan Boyle on one end and for Syracuse, the legendary Mikey Powell. Between the two teams, they had won 11 of the past 13 Division I national titles in men’s lacrosse.

Mikey Powell sporting the famed 22

The game would go down to the wire as Powell would tie the game to send it to overtime. Finally in OT, with 41 seconds left, Boyle found B.J. Prager for the game winning goal to win it 10-9. With the win, Princeton marked its sixth national championship (1992, ‘94, ‘96, ‘97, ‘98) in ten years. This marked the fourth time that the Tigers had won the title game in overtime. The victory was the 11th straight for Princeton in one-goal games, including all three of its tournament games.

Princeton celebrating the victory over ‘Cuse

Syracuse vs Cornell 2009 National Championship

Syracuse returned to the National Championship for the second year in a row after winning it all in 2008. Cornell controlled the game for the first 56 minutes and frustrated Syracuse with staunch defense. Cornell was up 9-6 with just over five minutes to go in the 4th quarter thanks to the great play of John Glynn and Max Seibald. However, the Orange came storming back as Stephen Keogh and Cody Jamieson narrowed the deficit to one goal with 2:46 remaining to make it 9-8.

Max Siebald with the ball

Cornell got the ball with less than 30 seconds to go. As the Big Red tried to clear the ball, Syracuse made one of, if not the craziest play in national championship history with Kenny Nims scoring to tie it with 4 seconds left in regulation.

Syracuse celebrating the tying goal sending the game to OT

In OT, Cornell won the ensuing face-off, but Syracuse defenseman Sid Smith stripped Ryan Hurley for a turnover. Dan Hardy feigned a shot before passing to Cody Jamieson, who was just beyond the crease. Jamieson put it away for the game-winner.

Notre Dame vs Albany 2014 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals

Coming into this game, the Thompson trio of UAlbany consisting of Lyle, Miles, and Ty Thompson displayed electric play all year. They put on dazzling displays of wrap around goals, behind the back finishes, and a superb collective field IQ. Notre Dame was led by Matt Kavanaugh, Sergio Perkovic and their lockdown defense. Albany had never been to the final four, and Notre Dame had never won a championship.

It was Notre Dame that pulled out in front early in the game leading 4-0. The Irish would be outscored 12-3 from that point into the 4th quarter. The Thompsons heated up and wowed the packed stadium and fans watching on national television with several highlight reel moments. This included two backhand goals from Lyle, who extended his single-season points record to 128 with a three-goal, three-assist performance.

Lyle Thompson carrying the ball

The 4th quarter brought a change of tide against the Danes. The Thompsons barely touched the ball in the final quarter. The Irish began their rally with four consecutive goals in two minutes. But Albany netted one to break up the Irish run. Then Notre Dame rattled off another pair of goals in a span of a minute and 41 seconds. This was capped by Perkovic’s 2nd of the game to tie the score at 13-13 with three minutes left.

Notre Dame goalie Connor Kelly, denied the Great Danes a lead with a key save on Albany’s Ty Thompson, who sent a shot off the goalkeeper’s helmet. With only two seconds left, that stop ended Albany’s last opportunity as time expired to send the game to overtime.

With a little over two minutes to play in overtime, Kavanagh drove toward the center of the defense. He drew a double team. As he backed off, the Albany defenders slouched in, giving him room to take a few steps in and fire a sidearm rocket. The shot beat Albany’s Blaze Riorden low for to take the OT win for the Irish.

Brown vs Maryland 2016 NCAA Tournament Semifinals

The Terps started out of the gates fast, taking a 4-1 advantage. Then the high-scoring Bears scored six of the next seven goals to take a 7-5 lead. It was Brown that led 8-7 at the half.

Brown goalie Jack Kelly made 7 of his 14 saves in the third period to keep the Bears alive. Brendan Caputo’s second goal of the game with 1:49 left in regulation knotted the game at 14. Then, Maryland senior defenseman Matt Dunn secured the ground ball on the overtime face-off. After working the ball behind the goal, Matt Rambo found Colin Heacock on the crease. He faked and fired a low shot past Kelly for the game winner.

Twelve different Terps recorded at least a point in the game. The effort was led by Rambo’s six with a goal and five assists. Also, Heacock finished with three goals and an assist, and Dylan Maltz also notched a hat trick.

Matt Rambo, Maryland

Dylan Molloy, the favorite for the Tewaaraton Award and the nation’s leading scorer, helped spark the Bears’ rally. He scored his second goal of the game in the fourth quarter despite playing with a broken bone in his foot. Bailey Tills, Molloy’s replacement on the attack unit, had a solid game as well with four goals and an assist.

“Dylan Molloy is the toughest guy I know who’s ever put on a lacrosse helmet,” said Bears head coach Lars Tiffany. “For him to do what he did today with a broken foot is phenomenal.”

The Terrapins earned a date with North Carolina in the National Championship.

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After playing lacrosse for 25+ years, I’ve had the opportunity to wield many types of sticks, gloves, shafts, and equipment. For some of the latest products to fuel your next practice or game, check out my latest lacrosse equipment recommendations below!

For more on some of the greatest lacrosse games ever played, check out these pages: Reddit discussion thread, Greatest Game Ever Played, and the Greatest Lacrosse Game.

For more sports reading, visit the Boundless Brooks Sport Page.

Related

Harvard Business Review Russia

Editorial. What does a person need to achieve this goal? How to develop and not stand still? Why shouldn’t you be afraid of problems and ashamed that you are not able to do something? These and other questions are answered in his book Principles by Ray Dalio, billionaire (# 67 on the Forbes global list) and founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater. We are publishing an excerpt from the Russian translation of the book published by Mann, Ivanov and Ferber.

In my opinion, individual development consists of five distinct stages. If you learn to follow them, you will almost certainly succeed. Below are their brief wording.

1. Set clear goals for yourself.

2. Identify the problems that stand in your way and do not put up with them.

3. Analyze these problems to understand the reasons.

4. Develop a plan to help you cope with problems.

5. Do whatever is necessary to implement your plan and get results.

First, you need to decide what to aim for. The choice of targets will determine the direction of your movement. On the way to them, you will inevitably run into problems. Some of these problems will make you see your own weaknesses. How you deal with the pain this will cause is up to you. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to remain calm and analytical to accurately diagnose the problems that arise, develop a plan to help you deal with them, and do what is necessary to get things done.After that, you will have new goals, and the whole process will repeat. For dynamic development, you will have to do it quickly and constantly, each time setting a higher goal for yourself.

To be successful, you will need to do each of these steps well and in the correct sequence each time. So when you choose goals, focus on formulating them. Don’t think about how you will achieve them or what you will do if something goes wrong. When you diagnose problems, don’t think about how you will solve them, just diagnose.Blurring these steps leads to a decrease in the quality of the results, because it interferes with the identification of real problems. It is a cyclical process: performing every step well gives you the information you need to move on to the next step and complete it well.

It is important that you approach this process calmly and rationally, be able to evaluate yourself from a higher level and at the same time be extremely honest. If emotions take over, pause until you can think impartially.If necessary, seek advice from reasonable and cold-blooded people.

To maintain concentration and efficiency, imagine that your life is a martial art or a game, the goal of which is to overcome an obstacle and achieve results. Once you accept the rules of the game, you will get used to the discomfort that accompanies constant feelings of dissatisfaction. You will never be able to do everything perfectly: mistakes are inevitable, it is important to realize and accept this. The good news is that every mistake you make can teach you something.The learning process has no boundaries. You’ll soon realize the nonsense of the “this is not easy,” or “this is not fair,” or “I can’t handle this” approach, and you will see that persistence and determination pay off.

What if you don’t have all the skills you need to be successful? Don’t worry: this is true of anyone. You just need to know when you need them and where to go to get them. As you gain experience, you will play the game with a calm, unwavering determination, even in adversity.Your ability to get what you want will inspire you. Let’s take a closer look at each of the five steps.

2.1. Set clear goals for yourself.

a. Prioritize: You can get almost everything you want, but you cannot get absolutely everything. Life is like a huge buffet full of delicious dishes you never dreamed of trying. Choosing a goal sometimes means giving up what you want in order to get what you want even more.And this is where some fall into a stupor: they do not dare to give up an opportunity for fear of missing something else and, as a result, pursue too many goals at the same time and achieve nothing or almost nothing. Don’t get discouraged and don’t be confused by the abundance of options. You are able to get much more of what you need to be happy. Make a choice and boldly go forward.

b. Don’t confuse goals and desires. The goal is what you really want to achieve.Desire is what you want, but what can prevent you from achieving your goal. Desires are usually first-order consequences. For example, the goal may be to be in good physical shape, while desire is the temptation to eat tasty but unhealthy food. Don’t get me wrong: if you want to spend all your time on the couch in front of the TV, for God’s sake! Seriously. You can choose absolutely any goal. But if that’s not what you’re aiming for, it’s better to put aside the packet of chips you’re currently holding.

c. Decide what you really want to achieve in life by reconciling your goals and desires. Take passion, for example. Without passion, life would be insipid. But the big question is: how do you manage your passion? Do you allow passion to completely overwhelm you and commit rash acts under its influence, or does it motivate you in pursuit of your true goals? The things that seem right to you on both levels – both as desires and as goals – will help you to fully reveal and realize your potential.

d. Don’t confuse success with its external attributes. Concentration on achievement is undoubtedly important. But people who are crazy about a pair of $ 1200 shoes or a beautiful car are rarely happy because they don’t know what they really want and therefore what will help them satisfy that desire.

e. Never give up on a goal because you think it is unattainable. Be ambitious. There is always the best possible way.Your job is to define it and have the courage to follow it. What you think is achievable is just a function of what you currently know. Once you start moving towards your goal, you will learn a lot, especially if you unite with others. Paths will open before you that you have not even thought about before. Although, of course, there are objective limitations, for example, you are unlikely to be able to become the center of a professional basketball team if you are short, or run a mile and a half in less than four minutes if you are 70 years old.

f. Remember that great expectations create great opportunities. If you limit yourself to a goal that you know you will achieve, you are setting the bar too low.

g. Practically nothing can stop you from achieving success if you have: a) flexibility, b) personal responsibility. Flexibility allows you to accept what reality (or people in the know) teaches you. Personal responsibility is important because if you truly believe that failure to achieve a goal is your personal failure, you will begin to view that failure as an indicator that you have not shown enough persistence, flexibility, or creativity.Thus, you will be much more motivated to find a way out of the current situation.

h. Understanding how to handle failure is just as important as knowing how to move forward. Sometimes you know that you are walking on a wobbly bridge over an abyss and there is no other way. Life is full of unpleasant surprises, and some of them can seem like complete disasters. In bad times, your goal may be to keep what you have, to minimize the level of losses, or simply to accept the inevitable losses.Your job is to always make the best possible choice, knowing that in this case you will be rewarded.

2.2. Identify the problems that stand in your way and don’t put up with them.

a. Think of painful problems as a chance to improve something. While it may seem different at first, every challenge you face is an opportunity. For this reason, it is important that you speak them openly. Most people do not like to do this, especially if in the process their weaknesses or the vulnerabilities of those who are dear to them become obvious, but successful people know that they cannot do without it.

b. Do not shy away from problems that are rooted in harsh and unsightly reality. Thinking about problems that are difficult to solve makes you worry, but not wanting to think about them (and therefore trying to deal with them) should worry you even more. When the problem is a lack of talent or skills, most people feel ashamed. It is necessary to get rid of this feeling. I will not tire of repeating: admitting your weaknesses is not the same as surrendering to them.On the contrary, this is the first step to overcome them. The pain you feel is the pain of growing: it tests you for strength, and you will certainly be rewarded if you survive this test.

c. Be specific about the challenges you face. In determining the nature of the difficulties, precision is needed, since different problems have different solutions. If the reason is a lack of skills, additional training will help. If the problem has arisen because of your inner weakness, it is possible that someone will need help to change your role.If the root of the problem is the incompetence of the other person, replace him with someone who has the necessary knowledge and skills. It’s simple.

d. Do not confuse the source of the problem with the problem itself. “I don’t sleep well” is not a problem, it is a potential source (or consequence) of it. To clarify the situation, try first to define a negative outcome, such as “I am not doing my job.” Poor sleep could be the cause of this problem, or it could be something else, but to understand this, you need to know exactly what the problem is.

e. Distinguish between major and minor problems. Your time and energy are limited resources, and therefore it is better to spend them on those problems, the solution of which will bring the greatest positive return. At the same time, pay sufficient attention to minor problems to make sure they do not constitute symptoms of more serious ones.

f. Once you’ve figured out what the problem is, don’t put up with it. Putting up with a problem is like not understanding its essence.It doesn’t matter for what reason you put up with the situation: because you think that it is impossible to cope with it, you don’t make enough efforts to solve it, you don’t have enough resources or willpower. In this case, your situation is hopeless. You need to develop a keen intolerance for any kind of imperfection, no matter how large.

2.3. Analyze the problem to determine the cause.

a. Before looking for a solution to a problem, focus on the cause of the problem.A common mistake is to instantly jump from defining a problem to proposing how to deal with it. Strategic thinking requires diagnosis and solution development. A qualitative analysis usually takes from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the thoroughness of the analysis and the complexity of the problem. It includes a discussion with competent people and a joint search for the cause. Like principles, the same causes of problems appear over and over again in seemingly different situations. Identification of these causes and their elimination will give the best result.

b. Distinguish between immediate causes and root causes. Immediate causes usually include actions (or lack of action) that cause problems; as a rule, they are expressed in verbs (“I missed the train because I did not check the timetable in advance”). The underlying reasons are much deeper, and they are usually described with adjectives (“I did not check the schedule in advance because I am very forgetful”). The only way to truly solve a problem is to root out the root causes.And for this, you must distinguish between symptoms and the disease itself.

c. If you know what a person is (including you), you will know what to expect from him. You will have to overcome your own reluctance to evaluate people if you want to have people around you who have the qualities you want. The same applies to you. Almost always, people find it difficult to admit and accept their own mistakes and weaknesses. Sometimes because they sincerely do not notice them, and sometimes because their own ego does not allow them to do so.It is likely that people around you do not point out mistakes because they do not want to hurt you. All this must be crossed. People who realize their potential are distinguished from others by their willingness to perceive themselves and those around them objectively and to understand the root causes of emerging problems.

2.4. Develop a plan.

a. Analyze the past before moving forward. Analyze where you started (or what you did), what brought you to where you are now, and then visualize what you and others must do in the future to achieve your goals.

b. Think of your problem as the result of a machine. Practice higher-level thinking: Analyze your mechanism to see how it can be changed to achieve better results.

c. Remember that there are many paths to achieving goals. You just need to find the one that suits you best.

d. Imagine your plan as a movie script in which you visualize who is doing what over time.First, define the key messages (for example, “hire the best talent”) and then refine them. Start from the big picture and highlight specific tasks and their time frames (for example, “over the next two weeks, select the HR specialists who will find these most talented employees”). When you do this, there will inevitably be cost, time and personnel issues, so keep adjusting the plan until all the details of the machine start working smoothly.

e. Record the plan for everyone to review and track progress. Your plan should include the smallest details of who should do what, and when. Objectives, vision and goals are different things, don’t mix them up. Remember, objectives are what connects vision and goals.

f. It doesn’t take long to develop a good plan. It can take several hours to formulate an action plan and refine it, or it can take several days or weeks.But you need to do this because the plan defines what you need to do in order to be successful. A lot of people make the mistake of not spending time planning at all because they are too absorbed in execution. Remember, planning first, executing later!

2.5. Implement the plan.

a. People who make big plans, but do not implement them, do not achieve anything. To implement a plan requires action, and that requires self-discipline.It is important to remember how tasks and goals are related to which you strive. If you feel that you are losing this connection, stop and ask yourself the question: “Why?” If you miss this moment, miss your goals too.

b. Good job skills are grossly underestimated. People who get things done successfully have task-prioritized lists of tasks and follow task after task sequentially.

c. Set clear criteria so you know you are on track.It is best for someone else to objectively measure and evaluate your progress. If you are not meeting your targets, this is another problem that needs to be identified and addressed. There are many successful, out-of-the-box thinking people who are not given the opportunity to implement their plans. They can succeed if they have a symbiotic relationship with effective performers.

That’s all, actually!

Remember, your values ​​are at the heart of all five stages. They define what you want, that is, your goals.Also, remember to do all the steps in sequence. After completing each stage, you receive information that helps to adjust further actions. After completing all five stages, you can start over with a new goal. If the process is effective, your goals will change more slowly than your plans, which will change more slowly than your goals.

One last thing: you must have well-developed analytical thinking and result-shaping skills.The first three steps – setting goals, identifying problems, and analyzing them – require analytical thinking (that is, understanding what you are aiming for and what is happening). Development of solutions and control over their implementation is the formation of the result.

2.6. Weaknesses are not important once you have found a solution.

I can say with almost certainty: you will not be equally effective at all the listed stages, because each of them requires a different type of thinking and few people are capable of it.For example, setting goals (that is, determining how you want to see your life) requires the ability to think at a higher level, visualize and prioritize. Identifying problems and not being willing to put up with them requires sensitivity, analytical skills, and adherence to high standards. Making a diagnosis – logical thinking, the ability to see numerous options and a willingness to tough communication with others. Developing a plan requires visualization and practicality.Implementation requires self-discipline, good work skills and a focus on results. How many people do you know who have all these qualities at the same time? Probably none. However, in order to succeed, you need to go through all five steps. What to do? First of all, have humility in order to get what you need from others! Everyone has weaknesses. Usually they manifest themselves in the nature of the mistakes that a person makes. Realizing your own weaknesses and observing them is the first step to success.

a. Analyze the nature of your mistakes and determine at which of the five stages you usually fail. Find out the opinions of others, as no one can assess themselves completely objectively.

b. Everyone has at least one major weak point that prevents them from being successful. Find yours and learn to deal with it. Write down where your Achilles’ heel is (identifying problems, developing solutions, implementing a plan) and why it exists (you are overwhelmed, unable to visualize potential opportunities).Most likely, you, like most people, have more than one weakness, but if you identify the most serious one and try to get rid of it, your quality of life will increase significantly. If you take on this task, you will almost certainly achieve results.

You can either get rid of weakness, or resort to the help of others to cope with it. There are two ways to achieve success: a) to have what is necessary for success on your own; b) receive it from others. The second way requires humility.Humility is no less (and maybe more) important than your own strength. It is best to have both … When you understand what you are missing, and gain an open-mindedness that allows you to accept the help of others, you will see that there is almost nothing impossible for you.

20 questions you may be asked at an interview

Some companies like to ask how you imagine the ideal job. In others, why the covers to the manholes are round and not square.Some employers consider standard interview questions useless and improvise, while others think carefully about each next step. We have collected 20 questions that will surely ask you at a job interview.

Different questions have different goals. But most often employers ask quite expected things related to the personality of the candidate, his professional level, career ambitions, understanding of the work mission, and compliance with the position.

1. “Tell us about yourself.”
You will be asked to do so, so be prepared to share the highlights of your working biography. Use the simple “present – past – future” formula. First, talk about who you are at the moment, what you do, what you can do. Then talk about what brought you to your current position: a set of skills and experience. At the end, talk about your plans and prospects.

2. “Name your strengths.”

It is important here not only to list your best qualities, but also to give an example of how they helped to achieve certain goals and success in work.

3. “Name your weaknesses.”

Position your weaknesses as growth points: tell us about how you plan to work on the weaknesses, what you have already managed to fix.

4. “Why do you want to work with us?”

Here you can demonstrate the degree of preparation for the interview, the level of knowledge about the company, interest in the job. If you were unable to find enough information, do not hesitate to ask the employer questions.

5. “Why did you leave your previous job?”

It is not necessary to be frank here. If your relationship with management is not going well or you just get bored, the employer will be wary.

Respond in a positive manner

: You would like to have more varied work, or you think your ideal boss doesn’t bother you outside of business hours.

6. “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

Do not try

be accurate in your forecasts: here the employer is interested in your train of thought and the direction of dreams.

7. “What are your

salary expectations

? ” Be prepared to be asked about the last salary after that.

8. “What are you planning to do in the first month / quarter of your job if you get this job?”

It’s not scary that you don’t know the intricacies yet, the main thing is to demonstrate an active attitude, a willingness to join the process.

9. Tell us about your achievements in the previous place

…

10. Tell us about your biggest failure.

11. Do you have children?

12. How long have you been looking for a job? Are there any other suggestions that interest you?

13. What exactly did you do in your previous job?

14. How do you feel about processing?

15. What’s your latest major project?

16.Why should we hire you for this job? How are you different from other candidates?

17. Why did you choose this specialty / university?

18. How do you spend your free time?

19. Do you have bad habits?

20. What problems do you most often face in your work?

If you already know which company you want to work for, but do not find a suitable vacancy for you, send the employer a message “I want to work for you!”.It will go into a special folder, and the employer will find out about your candidacy.

I want to work for you! 90,000 12 inspiring films about people who jumped over their heads – What to see

Several stories about people who overcame not only circumstances, but also themselves in order to achieve a goal.

wild Rose

Wild Rose, 2018

The eccentric, mischievous and insanely talented Rose-Lynn Harlan most of all wants to sing on the country stage in her life.But there are several circumstances that greatly complicate her rapid flight to her dream. She spent a year in prison and is not yet able to perform on stage, because under the terms of her release, she must spend evenings at home. She has no money and no serious profession that would allow her to earn it. And Rosa also has two children, with whom she needs to be close, and not wander around other people’s cities in search of happiness.

Season of Miracles

The Miracle Season, 2018

The leader of the school volleyball team, a soulful, cheerful girl Caroline, dies at the very beginning of the sports season, and the players are left without a captain and inspirer.All ambitious plans for the year are forgotten, the girls are in mourning, and it seems that nothing can breathe life into the team. But then it suddenly turns out that in the shadow of her friend a new star was growing – Kelly. She just needs to stop souring and take up the rallying of the group.

The Shawshank Redemption

The most popular and incredible story based on the story of Stephen King. The innocently convicted Andy Dufrein lives in prison and, it seems, has already come to terms with his imprisonment.His life is arranged, his life is adjusted, he has friends, a favorite job. But not everything is so simple.

Jane the soldier

Intelligence officer, topographer Jane O’Neill voluntarily gets into a meat grinder of psychological and physical pressure. She, the only woman in the training courses for elite military units, defeats not only her tormentor, but the entire system.

Walk

The story of the French tightrope walker Philippe Petit, who in 1974 decided to walk on a tightrope between the Twin Towers in New York.Over 400 meters above the ground, wind and no insurance.

From the bottom of the top

Seventeen-year-old Alexei Tsarev shows great promise in the field of alpine skiing, and then a tragedy happens to him, and he is left without legs. First he suffers, and then he still strives for victory. The story is based on real events from the life of the skier Alexei Moshkin.

Miss Congeniality

FBI Agent Grace Hart is a brave woman, dashing, but a little nondescript.She has problems in the service, and in order to rehabilitate herself, she must carry out a complex special operation, for the sake of which it is necessary to do something completely unusual for her – to become a beauty model.

Kon-Tiki

In 1947, Thor Heyerdahl and five of his companions on a raft crossed the Pacific Ocean to prove the migration of the supposed ancestors of the Polynesians from South America. The colorful and inspiring film was filmed not only in the footsteps of those events.The shooting conditions were as close as possible to those experienced by travelers.

8 miles

“8 Mile”, in which the main role was played by Eminem, is an almost complete chronicle of the star’s youth. Growing up in a brutal environment of poor African Americans, Eminem has managed to find his calling and become an equal among those who do not accept outsiders.

Chief Adam Jones

Top perfectionist chef Adam Jones is missing something to win this life.One day, when he realizes what it is, he will receive the coveted three Michelin stars – the highest chef’s award.

Joy

A drama based on the story of Joy Mangano, an unhappy single mother who cannot get out of want for a long time. One day she invents a self-wringing mop – the dream of every housewife. The road to sales turns out to be long and difficult, but now Joy owns a large business and continues to invent various things for the home.

Stephen Hawking Universe

Talented physicist Stephen Hawking is given a fatal diagnosis. Doctors are sure that with amyotrophic sclerosis, a young man will live at most for a couple of years. However, the scientist not only lived a long and happy life, but, despite complete immobility and dumbness, became one of the most famous scientists of the XX and XXI centuries.

June 19, 2020

Found a mistake? Select the fragment and press Ctrl + Enter.

Recommendations for the formulation of training goals

Lesson Objectives is a deeply thought-out way of organizing and guiding student activities in the final form. Setting a goal means predetermining, planning, deciding what and how will be done in the lesson. And at the same time, it is very clear to imagine the whole course of the work to be done in the lesson and the level at which the material should be mastered: a) the level of presentation: b) the level of knowledge; c) the level of skills and abilities; d) the level of creativity.

Target diagnostics . The teacher should set only the goal in which he is confident that he will be fulfilled. After all, a clear setting of goals and their achievement creates a situation of success and joy in the lesson, without which communication can turn into hard, tedious work. And it should be noted that one of the features of modern pedagogical technologies is, first of all, the diagnosis of goals. those. each teacher, setting a goal, must be sure that it will be fulfilled. If there is no certainty, then the goal should be lowered one step (in groups with a weaker contingent).The teacher should take not the amount of time spent, but a clearly set goal and its achievement.

Requirements for setting goals

The goal should be a) clearly formulated: b) understandable; c) achievable; d) checked: e) specific.

A clear, well-formulated goal of the lesson is only one, but very important of the components of pedagogical skills. This is one of the building blocks of a building called a lesson. If the goals are not formulated, or are not clearly formulated, this is tantamount to the brick that is laid on one side.This means that the entire script of the lesson by the teacher is built in a hurry and without a logical conclusion: Examples of incorrect goal setting:

1. Study the topic: “Dielectric materials”:

2. To deepen students’ knowledge on the topic “Guides”;

3. Expand the horizons of students;

All these goals are not specific, not verifiable, there are no criteria for their achievement. In the classroom, the teacher must constantly solve the triune task: to teach, develop, educate the student; therefore, to set educational (didactic), developmental and educational goals of the lesson, and personally also methodical.For example, to improve the step-by-step system of monitoring students’ knowledge. using the unconventional form of the lesson “lesson-metro”.

Formulation of educational (didactic) goals

The state educational standard clearly defined the levels of assimilation of knowledge by students.

The teacher presents part of the material in the lesson for familiarization, so that students have an idea of ​​some facts, events. This is the 1st level of assimilation. What could be the wording and didactic objectives of a Level 1 lesson?

1 To acquaint students with methods for determining the hardness of metals.

2 Give the concept of “Polarization of dielectrics”. It should be noted that the material given at I level is not included in exam tickets and control tasks.

2 level is the level of knowledge, retelling. An example of setting goals for this level:

1 To study the material of the scientific-practical conference on magnetism:

2 Repeat the classification of solders and fluxes;

When formulating goals of the 2nd level of assimilation, you can use the verbs: “write”, “sketch”, “teach”, “consolidate”, “provide”, “formulate”, “control”, “prepare”, “report”, etc.etc.

Level 3 – the level of skills and abilities, these are the actions that students perform mainly in practical classes. For example:

1 Contribute to mastering the technique of measuring the capacitance of capacitors:

2 Strive to develop oscilloscope skills:

3 Facilitate the development of the skill of determining the resistivity of dielectrics:

4 To systematize the knowledge of students on the topic “Contact materials”

Here you can use such verbs as: “highlight”, “generalize”, “apply knowledge”, “do”.

Developmental Lesson Objectives

“The student is not a vessel to be filled, but a torch to be lit.” Each teacher should remember these words, because the teacher’s task is not just to convey to the student the amount of knowledge on the topic, but to teach this knowledge to apply in life. The teacher must teach the student to operate with their knowledge: analyze, compare, evaluate, highlight the main thing. To develop a student’s memory, logical thinking. In order for the lesson to be not just educational, but developing, it is necessary to clearly formulate developmental goals.

Examples of formulating the developmental goals of the lesson:

1. Promote the development of logical thinking;
2. Develop memory:
3. Develop the ability to correctly summarize data and draw conclusions;
4. To develop the ability to highlight the main properties of electro-radio materials;
5. Develop the ability to compare, generalize, analyze.
6. Develop the ability to draw up a plan and use it;
7. Develop the ability to compose facts and events;
8. Develop observation
9. Increase attention.

Educational Lesson Objectives

Without participation in upbringing, the entire pedagogical culture, all the knowledge of the teacher is dead baggage. At each lesson, the teacher should strive to cultivate the best qualities in his student, therefore, educational goals should be set before each lesson. Since in one lesson it is impossible to immediately educate a student, it is better to use the words “strive to educate” in the formulation of educational goals;

“contribute to education.”

Examples of educational goal statements:

1. Strive to foster a sense of humanism, collectivism, respect for elders, mutual assistance, a sense of subordination, a sense of tact. responsiveness, negative attitude towards alcoholism. drug addiction, pursuit of physical health;
2. Strive to foster a sense of responsibility for the task entrusted, diligence, accuracy, conscientiousness, a sense of duty, responsibility for keeping secrets;
3. Strive to foster a sense of pride in the chosen profession, respect for the patient’s psyche, and the ability to manage emotions.

There are no trifles in pedagogical work. And the ability to formulate goals is one of the criteria for the teacher’s skill.

90,000 TOP-10 qualities of a programmer. Top employers’ opinion | GeekBrains

Personal qualities of a good developer through the eyes of leading IT companies.

https://gbcdn.mrgcdn.ru/uploads/post/35/og_cover_image/9e97d4a2c18cf92a59dd9a8f139e726c

In job descriptions, employers often indicate fairly standard requirements that do not denote any specific knowledge, but abstract concepts.For example – perseverance, resistance to stress, the ability to work in a team, etc. Everyone can understand these things in their own way. For example, an inexperienced job seeker, after reading tens and hundreds of resumes, may think that all these typical requirements are a necessary banality, “for show”.

It turns out not. Employers often have their own list of job seekers’ competencies, in which they put special understanding. We asked representatives of well-known companies what personal qualities a good developer should have.

It all depends on the specifics of work in a particular company

It is recommended to take an allowance for personal characteristics when choosing a job. For example, an introvert is likely to be more comfortable working remotely. And an extrovert – in an open space office.

Igor Seletsky, CEO & Founder at Cloud Linux Inc .:
“ All people are different, including programmers. Some can fly in the clouds, others will “cling” to details – both are important, albeit for different positions, tasks, and even companies.
And so, the main thing is that the person is good.
I can name the qualities that are significant for the employees in my company. But it doesn’t matter. There are other companies where these qualities do not play any role or, on the contrary, they really interfere.
All our work is remote, so it is necessary that programmers can keep track of their time themselves and be able to work on their own. And people who definitely need close contact (“face to face”) do not take root with us. But this is our specificity.For most companies, the opposite is likely. But these are all the “qualities” needed by individual companies, positions, and not by programmers in general. ”

“The work of a programmer is solving problems”

A good developer is the ability to solve problems and not be afraid of difficulties. The work itself is a constant creation of something new, often there are no ready-made answers. Therefore, this is not the place for those who give up quickly.

Dmitry Eybozhenko, Development Team Lead in Yandex:

“ I think the basic set of qualities is about the same for all professions, as well as for being a Human in general – decency, responsibility, the ability to work in a team.These are words that are mentioned so often on the resume that they seem to be commonplace, but in reality they are extremely important. But, nevertheless, if you single out the main quality, I would name the ability to solve problems. Because, by and large, the work of a programmer is solving problems, such a race with obstacles, where you follow a straight line for some time and it is easy for you due to experience and baggage. But then another obstacle is encountered that must be overcome. And this is where all the work is hiding. Searching for experience on the Internet, by the way, is one of the most common ways to train coping skills and the ability to quickly find suitable solutions and apply them.
There are not so many qualities that are truly incompatible with the work of a programmer, I think the inability to overcome difficulties is one of them. Probably, “scientifically” it can be called “stress tolerance”, but otherwise everything depends on the leader and what qualities he values ​​in people. ”

Analytical mindset, tenacity and teamwork

Ivan Lukovnikov, VP of Development and Cloud Technologies at Acronis:

“ First of all, a good developer must have an analytical mind.Even the most difficult programming problems have a logical solution. Ideally, the programmer should enjoy solving such problems; especially if everything is decided simply and beautifully.
The second quality is, of course, persistence. It takes a lot of time to really learn the basics of computer science. You will have to spend thousands of hours programming and solving sometimes puzzling problems. Of course, if you love what you do, it won’t be so difficult for you. But, nevertheless, it will take a lot of patience and great dedication to achieve real success on this path.
The third quality is the ability to work in a team. Writing code is in most cases a collective thing. A modern developer needs to be in constant contact with colleagues, work synchronously, easily read someone else’s code and work with it. ”

Good concentration, perseverance and algorithmic approach

Alexander Reshetkov, CIO of Softline:

“ First of all, it is worth paying attention to the very nature of the work.This is a thoughtful job that requires long-term concentration and perseverance. By the nature of the work, you can imagine a “portrait” of the average developer – these are mainly process-oriented people, concentrating on details, with an algorithmic approach, an analytical mindset. People with such personal qualities can deal with any task that requires algorithmicization.
Anything that does not correspond to the above qualities and competencies can have a negative impact on the quality and results of the developer’s activities.And it is important to understand this at the initial stages of cooperation. ”

A good programmer knows how to present his ideas and communicate with people

If you want to really succeed, it’s not enough to write good code; you need to develop leadership skills. This is of great importance, because a popular option for developing a programmer’s career, in addition to deepening in scientific work, is managerial positions.

Alexander Gorny, CIO Mail.Ru Group:

“ I would single out three main advantages of a developer: responsibility, sociability and initiative. Responsibility ensures that you write good code and that tasks are completed on time. Initiative makes it possible to implement your own ideas. I would like to dwell on sociability separately. Modern development is in many ways a team story, in order to succeed in it, certain social skills, the so-called soft skills, are very important: the ability to find a common language with colleagues and partners, negotiate, effectively present your ideas, speak well in front of a large audience, manage your time and so on.

Each rule has exceptions, but nevertheless, I will name such disadvantages: laziness, negligence and perfectionism. The programmer does not stand at the assembly line, it is almost impossible to distinguish the developer’s rest from his work from the outside, and if he is lazy, he will always or almost always rest. Prevention is always cheaper than treatment, it is much easier to prevent a mistake in the program than to find and fix it later. Carelessness leads to a large number of errors and a high cost of their further correction.Well, excessive perfectionism does not allow completing a single project without a monstrous missed deadline for . ”

The most valuable qualities of a programmer according to employers:

1. Ability to solve problems
2. Analytical mind
3. Tenacity
4. Ability to work in a team
5. Good concentration
6. Perseverance
7. Algorithmic Approach
8. Responsibility
9. Communication skills
10. Initiative

You need to understand that these qualities are highly desirable, but not required.It all depends on the company and the specifics of the position. Larry Wall, creator of Perl, said: “ Many are familiar with the virtues of a programmer. There are only three of them, and, of course, these are: laziness, impatience and pride . ” The explanation is simple: a lazy person is likely to find the most effective way to solve a problem. Therefore, if you find yourself inconsistent with the above points, then do not lose your enthusiasm. Find “positive” uses for your characteristics.

Author: Mikhail Klimov

For those who want to become a programmer, we recommend the profession of “Web developer”.

90,000 Employee Evaluation by Performance Review

Imagine a situation: an employee has worked for a company for a certain time and would like to discuss career opportunities. Or the management would like to test the team’s performance over a certain period. In such cases, the company should conduct a Performance Review of employee – to assess the manifestation of professional qualities in work, the effectiveness of task completion and the potential for moving up the career ladder, discuss understanding of the role in the team, give constructive feedback and help with setting and achieving goals.

This is why the practice of introducing performance review in large companies was invented. Performance review is one of the most popular methods for assessing personnel, and the frequency and depth of this review depends on the size of the company, as well as its goals.

Performance Review Method – What Is It?

First, let’s define what we are dealing with:

Performance Review is a method of assessing performance over a specific period of time that identifies an employee’s strengths and weaknesses, provides feedback from management and colleagues, and offers assistance in setting goals for future professional development.The review process takes place one-on-one between the manager and the employee.

Why is this approach so popular?

• It uses a 180 ° or 360 ° assessment, part of which is the employee’s self-assessment of the declared working qualities (competencies), as well as assessment by the line manager and colleagues. As a result, a person gets the most objective picture of the manifestation of their skills at work.
• This is the simplest and most objective way to clarify with the employee his strengths and weaknesses, discuss closed and uncovered goals and objectives and set goals for the next period.
• If an employee has wishes for career development or higher compensation for work, the performance review will help to make an informed decision about moving up the career ladder without prejudice.
• Finally, it is an open way of communicating with employees, which has a positive effect on the employer’s image.

What criteria are taken into account when evaluating an employee?

The review evaluates corporate and professional competencies .At the same time, they consider the competencies that are directly needed for the position held, but also the so-called soft skills: was he good at communicating with clients, whether he independently solved emerging problems, was able to creatively approach the task, etc. All this can be described, indicators can be added – the main characteristics that help to understand how to assess competence – and get a measurement of the same communicativeness or autonomy in a numerical value. And that’s one of the benefits of an objective Performance Review.

The review also assesses the employee potential within the current capacity of the position. How does he reveal himself, manifest himself and can he qualify for promotion? Potential assessment is important in identifying active and engaged employee players who can be nurtured within the team and raised to senior positions.

On the other hand, an estimated workplace efficiency is . It is needed to calculate the most productive employees, but on the other hand it helps to determine in which department there are not enough hands to cope with tasks.To do this, it is necessary to analyze three components of efficiency:

• Close Work Goals (OKR)
• Productivity in the workplace and solving everyday tasks
• achievements and contribution to the development of the company for the period

Why do you need performance review ?

Firstly , regular evaluations are an opportunity for a team member to show off, talk to their boss about their personal successes, and discuss fair remuneration in the form of salary revisions, if appropriate.

Secondly , the method is beneficial for the company. The performance review helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the team, track the effectiveness of employees and its decline, and understand what affects the team. And line managers need such an approach in order to thoroughly and reasonably influence the career path of subordinates. If there is a numerical confirmation that an employee is not coping with his duties, it is much easier for him to explain this by presenting facts and figures. The advantage of the performance is its transparency – everything is open, the assessment is fair, the goals and task statuses are easily tracked, so that the employee has no complaints about the management.

What are the steps in Performance Review ?

As we have already decided, there are two parties to this process – a manager and an employee of the company. Each of them is being prepared in stages. Manager needs:

Define competencies for assessment for the period

Choose which competencies we will assess and designate indicators for assessment. For example, if we choose the competence “Communication skills”, then the indicators of high assessment will be the desire to take responsibility for communicating with clients and colleagues, the ability to build a logical dialogue, the ability to convince and persuade the client to our side, the ability to win over, listen, etc.d.

Competencies can be:

• Knowledge level of the product or service
• Communication within the team / with external customers or clients
• Involvement in teamwork
• Desire to take responsibility
• Time Management
• Conflict Management
• Adaptability

Collect productivity indicators

• KPI (from eng.”Key indicators”) – a quantitative assessment of the work performed, depending on the volume of tasks and the time spent on it. Ki-pee-ai, as they are also called, can be different depending on the position – the number of scripts written, posts for social networks, advertising campaigns launched, etc.
• OKR (from the English “objective key results”) – a highly specialized marker of the work performed, depending on its impact on the ultimate goal of the company. For example, game developers were tasked with bringing the game to the top 10 in terms of the number of downloads on the Apple Store.If the employee has invested in this goal, his OKR will be higher. OKR goal setting is discussed in 1-on-1 meetings with the line manager, who helps identify the most important ones.
• Progress report is requested from the employee, who analyzes his tasks for the period and submits the results to the manager before the meeting.

Conduct appraisal of activity

An employee can be assessed using the 180 and 360 degree methods.In the first case, a person evaluates himself, and the line manager evaluates him according to the same criteria. In the second, colleagues are also connected. Using the example of evaluating 180 degrees, consider the procedure:

• to compile a questionnaire for an employee, create questions on the competencies selected above. If the employee shows himself from the best side, he is given a high mark. If it is inactive, the score will be lower. The commonly used scale is from 1 to 5, where 1 is negative and 5 is positive.
• adding questions on efficiency and potential in the workplace. To assess these indicators, we use the tasks closed for the period, the completed plan for the past 1-on-1 and other employee resources.
• we hand over the finished questionnaire to the employee for self-assessment. At the same time, according to the same criteria, the employee is assessed by his manager.

This assessment cycle can be carried out using automated programs that help create questions, add competencies for assessment, and send questionnaires to employees on time.In addition, immediately after the end of the assessment cycle, the program automatically allows you to assign a final 1-on-1 with a manager.

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Prepare for a conversation with an employee

Before the 1-on-1 meeting, the manager should analyze the coincidences and differences in the results of the employee’s assessment, review previous 1-on-1 meetings and re-check whether the employee has achieved the set goals and what factors could prevent him from doing so.Also, a preliminary discussion plan is being prepared for an effective meeting.

Meeting with employee

At the meeting, the employee and the manager analyze the indicators for the past period, discuss the assessment of competencies, look at the completed tasks and jointly set new goals. The leadership must necessarily take the initiative in setting priorities – this way it will be easier for a person to understand what to focus on in the first place, and to assess the level of readiness. But often this moment is overlooked – and in vain.What other mistakes are there in the performance review?

What to do and what not to do for a performance review

Errors in evaluating effectiveness – what are they and how to avoid them?

The first and biggest performance review mistake that stakeholders face is exaggeration or understatement. This is how the psyche works – we accept any admission of guilt or mistake as negative, which can affect the attitude of the authorities or even the level of remuneration.Therefore, before the assessment, the manager must clearly prioritize – everything that will be assessed will be considered only in the context of future growth in the company. Do you want to develop? Evaluate yourself soberly and freely accept criticism from the team if it is constructive.

What else should the assessment parties consider?

• Avoid criticism without examples and facts
• Stop comparing employees and their achievements
• Make or maintain rumors in the company
• Repeat and use arguments already told
• Avoid the words “always” and “never”, as this negates the admission of mistakes or self-improvement
• Avoid the phrase “it takes more time”, because for any task the participants clearly articulate the scope of implementation; if an employee complains that he simply did not have enough time, this can be interpreted as an attempt to justify himself

What to do after the performance review?

After the conversation, it is imperative to record the agreements that were discussed so that both the company and the employee have the same understanding of the situation.It is important to write down the goals that we set together – and be sure to schedule the next meeting. In general, a small follow-up is required, conclusions that are sent to the employee in order to avoid misunderstandings. Sometimes he is forgotten, so the manager’s task is to follow up the written confirmation of the results of the conversation.

Difference between old assessment methods and performance review method

Pros and Cons of Conducting Performance Review

General benefit from the method

This type of assessment is a good method of immediately managing the performance, motivation and development of your subordinates.Its great advantage is the assessment of the employee from several sides at once – self-esteem, the opinion of colleagues and the opinion of the manager. And the company can use the obtained charts for assessment and performance ratios to summarize the interim and final results of the year. And, of course, you need to remember about the Performance Review feature – this is only one of the methods for calculating the effectiveness, but it is it that helps not to lose the successes of the talent important for the company, to grow them and move up the career ladder.

Here are a few more pluses for both sides:

• Separation of responsibilities through open feedback
• Recognition of success and related remuneration
• Coordination of individual tasks and drawing up a Development Plan – an employee development plan
• Explaining Expectations and Objectives
• Improving communication and increasing loyalty

Are there any disadvantages?

If we are already talking about ratings that affect the results of the year and the ability to ask for a raise, we need to remember that they are not always objective.Here are the downsides of grading:

• Management focuses on quantitative rather than qualitative results
• Poorly written KPIs, OKRs, and development goals negatively affect a person’s understanding of their role and objectives, and as a result, performance review ratings may be too subjective and not true
• Poorly designed 180 ° or 360 ° questionnaires will make things worse

The conclusion suggests itself – to work primarily on objective indicators for the preparation of questionnaires for the staff and the manager who conducts the assessment.

We automate the review using HRM platforms

Assessment tools include:

• programs that help to establish communication: Google Meetings, Google Calendar, individual letters with a reminder of meetings, etc.
• problem-setting programs: Trello, Todoist, Evernote
• questionnaires and feedback questionnaires

The problem here is that in the process of working and preparing for the review, even the most painstaking managers can forget about some albeit insignificant nuance that will ultimately affect the understanding between him and the ward.The result is communication errors and poor goal setting.

A platform for HRM tasks can bring tasks together if it provides for the ability to conduct a staff review. For example, the PeoplePerform module allows:

This is what the meeting card looks like for each employee in PeoplePerform

• Record OKRs and prioritize goals up to the target date. So everyone will have a clear vision of what they have to work with – and much fewer questions about deadlines
• Create a 180 ° employee assessment cycle with the ability to add questions on professional competencies, performance and potential assessment.The employee will assess his skills, and his line manager will assess the skills of the subordinate. The system will analyze the answers and bring them into a convenient graph for comparison.

PeoplePerform 180 Degree Assessment Results

• After the assessment cycle, the employee is placed in one of the 9 boxes, and management can see which category of capacity development and performance he belongs to.

PeoplePerform 9 boxes Matrix

Companies that use the performance review method in operation

Adobe

Adobe has been using the assessment method since 2012, moreover, the company uses automation processes to facilitate communication with employees.Over the course of nine years, the company calculated that with the help of the review, it saved more than 100,000 hours of work, which employees spent on clarifying tasks or filling out unnecessary briefs. After the start of using HRM platforms, loyalty indicators increased by 10%.

Google

The giant in the labor market Google is very detailed in assessing employees – the company has introduced an additional level into the review, which is called “calibration”. After the manager prepares a preliminary rating for an employee, based on a scale from “needs improvement” to “exceeds expectations,” he sets up a focus group that considers individual performance and reduces the level of subjectivity of the rating.

General Electric

The experience of conducting a performance review in this company dates back to 1979, and, according to the management, has already become a kind of ritual. For so many years, the company has developed a whole application for communication with personnel – it helps to collect daily feedback on work processes and even allows you to collect “buns” for activity, which can then be translated into an additional indicator of motivation.

Application of Performance Review , in our humble opinion, is one of the most comprehensive ways of assessing an employee, not only quantitatively, but also ideologically.And the idea is simple – to help understand that assessment is necessary for the development of professional qualities. So, subject to all the rules of the game, who will refuse to “pump” their skills and prove that it is he who influences the success of the entire company?

If you are interested in automating the employee assessment process, take advantage of the free trial period for 14 days – just register on the company’s website and get the opportunity to test the functions you need.

Cover image by Mario Jacome

90,000 Managerial Tips: 10 Signs of a Good Boss

After Bad Bosses, many may get the impression that there are only bad bosses in our lives.However, there are good ones. They are the ones who create the best products, make the best services, and the companies they manage are growing faster than others. I was lucky in my life because I worked under the direction of three great bosses and learned a lot from them. But there are no perfect bosses. Every good boss has a lot of flaws, which are often a continuation of their strengths.

A good boss is a relative phenomenon. You often don’t know that you have a good boss when you work under his leadership.You see a bunch of flaws in him, it annoys you that he is demanding of you and even sometimes picky. But as soon as you move to another place and meet with another boss, your old boss begins to seem to you just a model of a good boss. Because his dignity was taken for granted. His shortcomings now do not seem so serious, and exactingness has given you so much in terms of development that it already seems like a gift from above. It also happens the other way around: a person who seemed like a good boss turns out to be completely different after meeting another boss who is radically better, more interesting and more positive.

Nevertheless, there are some absolute signs of good bosses that will allow you to accurately conclude that he is really good. Sign the first: a good leader is a person who leads. This does not mean that he should run with the flag or speak loudly. There are real leaders who speak quietly and calmly, who do not seek to stand out. But when you communicate with such a person, you have a persistent feeling: he is a leader. Or does not arise.

Sign of the second: a good boss always has an inspiring goal.It cannot be a goal to make yourself a lot of money or something similar. This goal should inspire not only him, but all his employees and colleagues. Having such a goal that unites the organization, department, company is the most important property of a good boss.

Sign the third: the principles and values ​​of the boss must be shared by those who work for this boss. At the same time, it is not even necessary that these principles and values ​​in the general human sense be good and correct.The main thing is that they are shared by everyone and consistently implemented. But organizations united by positive values ​​give much more to society and to themselves. My top list of principles and values ​​is: respect and trust; keep your word; protect your own from strangers; listen and hear; law and order for everyone, without exception, including the boss.

Sign the fourth: the boss maintains a positive attitude, does his job with humor and gives positive to his employees. Of course, the boss cannot always smile and be happy.Solving difficult and extremely unpleasant tasks, he can be negative, and tough, and sometimes cruel. But if the overwhelming majority of governance is based on negativity, this is a sure sign that not all is well here.

The fifth sign: the manager has experience and knowledge. Perhaps, at the first stage, the boss may not understand the industry and not know the company he is leading. But after a while, he is simply obliged to understand the industry and what is happening in the organization. Otherwise, he cannot be a good boss.

The sixth and most important sign: a good boss achieves a result. People like to win, real teams are formed when they achieve a result together. A person becomes a real good boss only when, together with him, and not in spite of him, the organization achieves a result. There are also defeats. But the way, together with the boss, the organization corrects mistakes and fights defeats, what lessons it learns so that it does not happen again is also a result.The main thing is that these mistakes and defeats do not follow one another.

Sign the seventh: a good boss unobtrusively becomes an example to follow. In how he communicates with employees, how he thinks and how he speaks. What it does and what it doesn’t. And people follow this example not by order, but simply because they like it.

Sign Eight: A good boss says thank you. He does it regularly and with pleasure. His thanks mean a lot. Because it is for the cause – where there are no achievements, you will definitely not receive thanks.But in addition to positive feedback, a good boss makes it clear directly and honestly what he doesn’t like. This allows all members of this organization to understand the coordinate system.

Sign Nine: The boss is not a star who shines against the background of his mediocre employees. Everything is exactly the opposite. A good boss is one who knows that his main asset and resource are his employees. A good boss presents the organization’s successes to his employees, and presents mistakes and failures himself.A good boss develops his people. And he gets real, undisguised pleasure, watching how his employees become stronger and more experienced than himself in their fields.

Sign ten: a good boss does not lose touch with reality. Although he is less likely to be told the harsh truth, he is often painted a not entirely realistic picture, both in relation to what he leads, and in relation to himself. The risk of getting bronzed increases in direct proportion to the boss’s performance.The better the results, the higher the danger. That is why many good bosses cease to be such at some point, losing touch with reality. And only self-criticism, sober self-esteem and a system for collecting and processing feedback allow a good boss to remain good.

How to use 10 signs. Want to check how good your boss is? Check the box next to each feature if your boss has one, and count the number of checkmarks.

10 ticks out of 10

Let me make the assumption that you are your boss and appreciated yourself. The exact presence of all 10 signs means that we have the perfect boss. And there is no such thing. Ask your subordinates, colleagues, and you will be surprised how far from ideal you are in reality. Apparently, you have a problem with trait 10.

8-9 ticks out of 10

This is a very high result. The one who scored that much is a really good boss.But if you are evaluating yourself, feel free to subtract at least 2 checkmarks. I know bosses: they are always people with high self-esteem and a tendency to lose adequacy. Just check that the first sign is checked. It is most important. Without this feature, everything else does not make much sense. And it will even be strange that everything else is there, but this is not.