Basketball- "There Are Always Opportunities to Lead" Plus John Thompson Tribute

“There are always opportunities to lead.” - Stanley McChrystal, Team of Teams

Availability. Leaders are on display 24/7 which is why excellence matters. General McChrystal made a point of surveying O&I (operations and intelligence) briefings before presentation, greeting each presenter by first name, asking a relevant question, and thanking each presenter. In turn, the Task Force got value by making presenters feel valued. 

Authenticity. Coaches need authenticity, but only a select few (e.g Belichick, Popovich) get leeway to be sometimes brusque or dismissive. The rest of us should use courtesy and respect consistently. 

Attitude. "Use attitude to gain altitude." Coaches need to bring shared energy to raise the general energy level every day. Just as the director is "the keeper of the story," the coach is the keeper of team culture. Greet every player individually by name within the first ten minutes of practice. Thank them at the end of practice. Aspire to inspire. 

Tone. Our message includes what we say and how we say it. Good players want coaching, want to grow, want the truth. Be positive and be specific. "Work on transition defense because we allowed twelve points in transition. Let's review assignments and the technique we're using today."



Presence. Management guru Tom Peters discusses the importance of MBWA - management by walking around. General McChrystal refers to this as "battlefield circulation," visiting the troops to give and get perspective. Abraham Lincoln was well-known for visiting troops during the Civil War, eating the same hardtack they did. Pay attention to developing everyone on the team. 

Bear Bryant was famous for his perch in a tower over the practice field. 

Questions. Share the questions before the test. Compile a list of questions that everyone learns to be on the same page. Gives players a chance to read, study, develop ideas, and organize their thoughts and questions. And be "performance-focused and feedback rich." 

• "How do we defend the pick-and-roll?" 
• "Are we running a team off the three-point line or challenging them to make threes?"
• "What are the defenders' responsibility in transition D?"

Young players lead through attentiveness, work ethic, and toughness. Modeling "high character" play may not remove "territoriality" of older players but affords a grudging respect. 

Lagniappe: John Thompson, champion. Did you know...?