Tony La Russa approached Red Sox manager Alex Cora saying, "I got two things for you," ideas on how to better the club. What advice would you share with a successful club, a struggling team, a veteran team, a young team, any team?
Successful team.
- "Don't become complacent. Stick with what made you successful."
- "Player development is the cornerstone of success." It's our job to improve player "hardware" (athleticism) and "software" (skill and decision-making). Overinvest in development.
Struggling team.
- "Earn the right to believe in yourself." Outwork leads to outperformance.
- "Focus on doing well the few things that you do most."
Veteran team.
- "Never leave the fundamentals." We don't return to basics.
- "Put winning ahead of personal agendas."
Young team.
- "Be detail-oriented." Give and get feedback to assure everyone is closer to being on the same page. It's asymptotic (above). We never get to 100%. Departure from detail is costly. Not knowing your assignment, not covering your player, not blocking out, not communicating on defense are critical errors.
- "Good teams learn to apply and withstand pressure."
Any team.
- Two or three possessions separate winners from losers. "Be here now."
- Pressure degrades performance. Be excited about what you do. Excitement leads to greatness. Anxiety degrades performance.
Good advice is good advice, regardless of the level of play.
Lagniappe. "CUT HARDER." The best player I ever coached went hard on every rep.
Lagniappe 2. "Be curious not judgmental."
Lagniappe 3. Why do we coach?
