Teams are comprised of people, people who need leaders not managers. Leadership is never complacent. "I'm pleased, but I'm not satisfied."
"Do the next right thing right now." Life is about doing more of what works and less of what doesn't. OMFG (on my own field goals) come with a far lower shooting percentage than shots from assists. "Basketball is a game of cutting and passing", not standing and incessant dribbling. The worst defensive offenses come from blown assignments or failure to recognize "the ball scores."
"Be ready when an opportunity comes." Preparation means knowing what is needed, when, and how to execute. The Spartak Tennis Club has produced more top twenty women's tennis players through the years than the entire United States has. Players focus on strokes for years prior to going into competition. “It looked like a ballet class: a choreography of slow, simple precise motions with an emphasis on tekhnika – technique. Preobrazhenskaya (the lead coach) enforced this approach with an iron decree: none of her students was permitted to play in a tournament for the first three years of their study. It’s a notion that I don’t imagine would fly with American parents, but none of the Russian parents questioned it for a second. “Technique is everything.” Preobrazhenskaya told me later, smacking a table with Khrushchev-like emphasis, causing me to jump and speedily reconsider my twinkly-grandma impression of her. “If you begin playing without technique, it is big mistake. Big, big mistake!””
Commit to fundamental excellence and focus on borotsya (the struggle). It's the work, not the talent, that builds champions.
Be the solution not the problem. Part of the process is defeating your greatest enemy, yourself. John Wooden's father taught him, "Don't whine, don't complain, and don't make excuses." We can lapse into attribution bias as we blame outside forces (officiating, field conditions, distractions) instead of accepting how we played.
Be humble. Recognize the contributions of teammates and others who help you succeed. The humble player notes the strengths of others, her limitations, and strives to be her best. Humility encourages sharing both the ball and the credit. Humility means perspective. Humility means choosing what is right, but not necessarily what is right for you.
Never give up. Dean Smith noted how a Carolina team overcame an eight-point deficit in the final seventeen seconds and beat Duke in overtime. Always take ownership of your effort. Be relentless and resilient.
