Good books inspire thought and questions. Robert Townsend's Up the Organization (1970) certainly applies.
Although Townsend primarily writes about business, isn't sports the entertainment business? He asks rhetorically 'are we doing something worthwhile or building monuments to ego?" The 'why' has to lead the 'what' and the 'how' of our purpose. Ego creates barriers and distractions from "the main thing."
Presuming that we have a worthy purpose, we need the 'who', the right people on the bus. It's easy to be swayed by our 'confirmation bias', (in my case) an overcommitment to athleticism (projection) or effort. Appreciate and praise productivity over potential.
Challenge conventional wisdom. The "light of conviction" can fail us spectacularly. Failing to change with the game and the world can pass us by. We risk irrelevance if we can't change with the times. But remember two maxims, "never be the first to add or the last to delete" and John Wooden's "No progress occurs without change but not all change is progress."
Don Meyer describes three phases of coaching - "blind enthusiasm", "sophisticated complexity", and "mature simplicity." The legendary Boston Celtics ran just six plays, but they ran them exceedingly well. Remind yourself every day, "simple is better." Have conviction not to overload your team's plate so that they regurgitate instead of digesting.
"Discipline is more important than conviction." Conviction is like authenticity. It's great when it adds value. Sometimes it exposes us to risk when we're 'all in' on mistakes...on bad hires, bad strategy, and bad operations. It's a drag to progress when anachronistic or just wrong. Don't be a "flat-earther" when proven wrong.
