The Pressures of Being a Minor Hockey Goaltender

IN THIS DAY AND AGE, you might think of minor hockey as one of the safest sports around. After all, the equipment of today is lighter and more protective than ever.

The irony is that while the padding players wear is more advanced than it has ever been, the pressure that players find themselves under has only escalated. The player under the greatest stress on a daily basis is the goalie, the last line of defence. Once the puck gets past the grasp of the goaltender, a goal is scored, and the pace of the game changes immediately.
While some goalies handle stress better than others, the bottom line is that the tension always exists, and, unlike the rest of the team the person in net has no one to fall back on.


Goalies are often referred to as a “different breed” for good reason; not every kid is up to the awesome task. Behind the pipes, the goalie is often the last hope that a team has and can make, or break, the outcome of a game, and sometimes the greatest game-to-game competition they face is to a chance to play in the crease.
Goaltending is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Way to GO!

Recognition goes far beyond a paycheck. Great recognition can spark a revolution that motivates your team to go above and beyond, from required to remarkable. Employee motivation can be as individual as the people who work for you.

Unfortunately, motivating people is far from an exact science. There's no secret formula, no set calculation, no work sheet to fill out. In fact, motivation can be as individual as the employees who work for you. One employee may be motivated only by money. Another may appreciate personal recognition for a job well done. Still another may work harder if she has equity in the business.
But you can boil down employee motivation to one basic ideal: finding out what your employees want and finding a way to give it to them or to enable them to earn it.

Employers often fail to realize that some of the most effective things they can do to develop and sustain motivated, committed employees cost very little or nothing at all.

• Interesting work. No one wants to do the same boring job over and over, day after day. And while any job will always require some boring, repetitive tasks, everyone should have at least a part of their job be of high interest to them.
• Information. Information is power, and employees want to be empowered with the information they need to know to do their jobs better and more effectively. And, more than ever, employees want to know how they are doing in their jobs and how the company is doing in its business.
• Independence. Few employees want their every action to be closely monitored. Most employees appreciate having the flexibility to do their jobs as they see fit.
• Increased visibility. Everyone appreciates getting credit when it is due. Occasions to share the successes of employees with others are almost limitless.

Say THANK YOU to your employees today.

New Year, New Goals, New Rewards

Happy New Year!

Have you thought of the goals and plans for your business in 2013?

Making a plan for how you want your year and business to grow is an important step in the right direction. But while making plans for you business don't forget to recognize and reward your employees for their hard work and dedication.

Changing the way you manage your employees is a great first goal for 2013. Prioritize employee recognition and you can ensure a positive, productive, innovative organizational climate. Provide employee recognition to say thank you and to encourage more of the actions and thinking that you believe will make your organization successful.

Create goals and action plans for employee recognition. You want to recognize the actions, behaviors, approaches, and accomplishments that you want to foster and reinforce in your organization. Establish employee recognition opportunities that emphasize and reinforce these sought-after qualities and behaviors.