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Friday, April 21, 2017

Fast Five: Finding Excellence

"The conviction of your vision is the sine qua non for its achievement. Without a clear-minded fix on where you want to get, the opportunities and pressures for diverting from it will ensure you will not arrive there." - Michael Useem in The Leadership Moment

Vision alone won't fulfill dreams. Before reading on, what dimensions belong on your list of desired coaching qualities? Pick 5. 

1. Competence within The Big Picture. The coach owns the structure, planning, teaching, and implementation of their system. 

2. Problem solving. Basketball creates challenges offensively, defensively, and in special situations dictated by time and score. Players must adjust to different styles, athletes, and officiating. If we don't teach them, they will not learn. 

3. Leadership. Leaders serve. They inspire trust and earn loyalty. Leaders add value to everyone in the program. People gravitate to leaders and shrink from despots.

4. Motivation. Players can give more; effective coaches get more by giving more. Dean Smith said, "I don't teach effort; I teach execution." We don't have Dean Smith's players. 

5. Persistence. Life interferes with preconceived plans. Adversity is our teacher not our enemy. Coaches and players must endure. 

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” – Albert Einstein

Coaching Toolbox shares thirty-five qualities of an outstanding basketball coach. Which do we need to grow?