Monday, February 18, 2019

Basketball: Why Is the 'Special' Leader Special?

Secret sauce? If the recipe were easy, EVERYONE would have it. 

 Jon Gordon shares truths about the process. 
Throw out some names - Bill Belichick, Greg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Doc Rivers, Nick Saban, Scotty Bowman. What ingredients spiced the sauce? 

 Coaches at the professional level overflow with sport-specific knowledge. Nobody equates Bill Belichick's forty plus years in professional football with Alex Cora's baseball resume, but even a rookie manager has experience backstopped with supportive organizations and analytics. 

Coaches get labels as task-oriented (hard guys) or relationship-centered (player's coaches). The best coaches, the ones deserving emulation, combine both. The hard guys wear people out and players gradually run down the relationship guys. 
In Getting to Us, Seth Davis profiles elite coaches. He informs us of their PEAK domains (performance, emotion, authenticity, knowledge). 

In The Speed of Truth, Stephen M.R. Covey separates the ingredients into CHARACTER and COMPETENCE. A leader could have strong intent and no integrity or be capable in some areas yet unable to fashion results. 

 Who is elite and underappreciated? 

From Rant Sports (2013), "(Erik) Spoelstra has led the team to five playoff appearances, 50 postseason wins, three straight NBA finals appearances and consecutive championships. He is the franchise leader in win percentage, playoff victories and titles, accomplishing all of this in only five short seasons." 


NBA head coaches winning percentage as of June 14, 2018. Coaches highlighted in green are those spending entire career with current franchise. Excellence creates continuity and continuity likely contributes to excellence. 

Jon Gordon and Mike Smith shared their coaching values in You Win the Locker Room First. 


From You Win the Locker Room First. 

 They emphasize that leaders develop character, not just talent. Conversely, Pat Riley notes that winners often become victims of "the Disease of Me," where money, recognition, and roles supersede winning. 

 Every caring coach struggles to find the balance between competing forces of technique and tactics, confidence-building and correction. Circle back to Jon Gordon's advice, "pursue excellence today." 

 Lagniappe: 
Don't lose the baby with the bathwater. Free throws taken is an element of Dean Oliver's Big Four analytics. Fouls get individual opponents in foul trouble. Fouls create bonus and double bonus situation. And even shooting 70 percent (on two free throws) yields 1.4 points per possession, analytics-friendly results. 

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