Ideas are the currency of the future. Ideas surround us. Legends of many fields share their imagination and experience on MasterClass. Here are some from the world of film worth incorporating.
1. Be curious. "Before you can radiate, you have to absorb." - James Cameron
The average person has over 6,000 thoughts per day. Curiosity through listening and reading transforms us. The US Men lose consecutive scrimmages. Love your losses. What takeaways belong? "Help, I need somebody."
Australia reverses the ball into an unchallenged give-and-go.
Patty Mills gets a speed mismatch and help never comes. "The help can never get beat."
2. "The director is the keeper of the story." - Ron Howard
Make every practice activity advance the narrative. Keep the essential and cut the fluff. Mano Watsa says, "don't major in the minors." Don't waste time on minutia that doesn't matter.
3. "Respect gets the best from the people we work with." - James Cameron
Get the most from our people by respecting their time, their knowledge, and their effort. Their opinions matter. Study other coaches. Cameron incorporates the positivity and appreciation that Ron Howard showed his actors and crew. Elite coaches connect with players and staff, knowing them as both players and people.
4. Don't compartmentalize the humanistic and the technical aspects of process. In coaching, cultivate culture and task-oriented coaching. Work at every aspect of the craft. Study leadership (like James Kerr's Legacy), video, and analytics, too.
5."The film is made in the editing room." - Ron Howard
6. "Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." - Werner Herzog
Expose ourselves to great prose. Herzog's an enormous fan of J.A. Baker, author of The Peregrine. I like Dan Brown (Boys in the Boat), Laurence Gonzales (Deep Survival), and Madeleine Blois (In These Girls Hope Is a Muscle.)
"Survival is the celebration of choosing life over death. We know we're going to die. We all die. But survival is saying: perhaps not today. In that sense, survivors don't defeat death, they come to terms with it.”
― Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why7."Kill your darlings."
Our pet strategy or defense may not be right for our team and our people. It's better to let it go than try to pound the square peg into the round hole. I believe in the run and jump defense but our young players couldn't grasp it or my teaching wasn't good enough.
8. "This is a LOOK AT ME business." - Sam Jackson
Expecting egoless play from elite athletes is unrealistic. If you want the eyeballs and hard-earned cash of fans, don't dismiss them.
9. "Be on time. Don't be an a*hole." - Helen Mirren
Create positive culture and mindset at all times.
10. "The hardest part of the day is getting out of the car at the studio." - Martin Scorsese
Scorsese accepts the daily challenge to be fresh, energetic, creative. He advises us to watch films of the old masters. He credits professor Haig Manoogian for giving him confidence to become a filmmaker and inspiration, which he considered the greatest gift. Inspiring players is an equal blessing.
Lagniappe. Turn the Paige and make teammates better with passing.
Lagniappe 2. "Every day is player development day." Tips from Drew Hanlen on the shooting pocket.