You know people's great ideas - sliced bread, the wheel, fire. We even know people's bad ideas. Stephen King hates adverbs and weak verbs.
Great ideas are everywhere. Bill Belichick takes the Patriots to the movies...to watch team-building films, like Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure or Patriots Day. Don Meyer kept three notebooks - basketball learning, general knowledge, and appreciation for his wife (that he gifted her each year).
Read. Kevin Eastman reads two hours a day - an extra 180 hours of knowledge every quarter. Read about basketball, leadership, communication, excellence, teaching, success, history, and more.
Great writing inspires. Tim Ferriss' Tools of Titans shares resources from many successful individuals, their routines, observations, habits, breakthroughs. For instance, comedian Mike Birbiglia notes, "only emotion endures" and wishes billboards in New York City included, "None of these companies cares about you." What is my team's vibe? Do they know I care?
Share stories about David and Goliath at the Valley of Elah (perimeter versus inside game), Lee's Chancellorsville victory over General Joe Hooker against overwhelmingly superior forces, the heroism at Thermopylae, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at Gettysburg ("I can learn."). We can only share what we know.
Just looking. Yogi Berra quipped, "you can see a lot by just looking." Great coaches like Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski share their knowledge as we study their situational play. NBA "reality TV" stars showcase cuts and footwork, transcendent spacing, and elite individual talent.
Internet interviews provide hints at leadership and culture development.
Gregg Popovich values humor in his players.
Blogs provide information about anything and everything, including process improvement.
The average reader spends thirty-six (36) seconds on an article. Give readers reasons to come, linger, and learn.
Find blogs that meet your educational and philosophical needs. Check out those in my sidebar.
Facebook Groups. The coaching community shares ideas respectfully. It's like politics without the ticks. Some are public, like Herb on Hoops while others require an invitation.
Podcasts bombard us with perspective (good and bad) on coaches, coaching, and stars. You know "The Vertical". For example, "I talked to three teams, and all three teams would not give up more than one pick for him (Cousins)." Add in the extension, and "that's an untradable contract." Coach Nick has the BBallBreakdown podcast. Are you in?
Mentors. Who's your mentor? Whom do we mentor? We need to be open to learning and sharing. Have relationships above us, at our level, and below us.
Coaching clinics. We don't have to take vacation, travel, or spend a lot of money. FIBA has amazing series of online clinics.
Clinic Notes. Google basketball "clinic notes" and over 21,000 entries appear. Many have multiple sets of notes. You could spend the rest of days reading clinic notes.
Become a thinking machine. I enjoy walking and dictate ideas into a cell phone. "Ideas are the currency of the future." Thinking includes asking better questions. What does my team need now? How can I reach them?
Thanks for visiting. Don't be a stranger.
