"People who do not practice what they preach are hypocrites, and hypocrisy mutes the effectiveness of their stories." - Howard Gardner, Leading Minds, An Anatomy of Leadership
What are the consequences of content? We stimulate thought or hatred; we spread ideas or disinformation. We inform or mislead...and we do so with what agenda?
Most of us play on teams...immediate family, extended family, coworkers, and community. Some affiliate with other 'teams'-trade and professional organizations, religious groups, charities, service organizations (e.g. Scouts), et cetera. What messages do we send, how valid are they, and how do we stay "on message"? How do we get our 'team' on the same page?
Do we practice "critical thinking"?
"Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way. People who think critically attempt, with consistent and conscious effort, to live rationally, reasonably, and empathically. They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked."
Critical thinkers examines both sides of an argument. None of us do it all of the time, because it's too time-consuming and carries risk and costs. If a speeding car approaches us, we need to react not ponder. We choose automatic thinking (mostly) for food choices. We don't research the relative benefits of twenty breakfast options before eating.
How can we 'think better' and communicate better about basketball? Is 'thought leadership' revolutionary and iconoclastic, quantitative (analytics) or qualitative, or a hodgepodge of competence and questions?
Einstein explained the universe in terms of space, time, and gravity, among other ideas like relating matter and energy. In basketball, offense functions in a blur of space and time while defense works and fails depending on gravity (ball pressure, help, and recovery). Energy always matters.
For us to share our ideas with our players and peers, we must understand, distill, and simplify the game. We must inform them but teach them to edit the lessons and share and clarify. "We are all publishers."
