Basketball: Quick Take, The Empty Chair

An empty chair may help put fannies in the seats.

Adopt a business management principle by including an empty chair in meetings.The empty chair represents the customer. Moreover, it symbolizes taking another perspective. 

Depending on the industry, the empty chair could represent employees (players), middle managers (assistants), or end users (fans). 

Hold your fingers over your forehead and make the letter "E." Which way does it point? Research says that when it points so that someone looking at you can read it, you are more open to another viewpoint. When it points so that you can read it, you are the focus. 

Do we see our program from the players' perspective? Do they see us as relationship-oriented, task-oriented, or both? Many coaches get labeled as one or the other. An empty chair in a coaches meeting reminds us to ask "how does it feel to play for me?" What does the 12th player on the team say about the coaching? 

What is we had an empty chair in a team meeting, representing the fans? Fans expect effort, selflessness, energy, and smart play. Would our team take ownership of those expectations?