Distractions: Part of the Process, "A Man Distracted Is a Man Defeated"

In Redbelt, author David Mamet summed up distractions, "A man distracted is a man defeated." 

Every team faces distractions, which appear in limitless forms. Maintaining focus is a central task for coaches and team leaders. The best teams stay engaged and 'on the same page.' 

Human nature makes it hard for us to find contentment. In the magnificent opus Sapiens, Yuval Harari writes, "When the mind experiences something distasteful it craves to be rid of the irritation. When the mind experiences something pleasant, it craves that the pleasure will remain and will intensify. Therefore, the mind is always dissatisfied and restless. This is very clear when we experience unpleasant things, such as pain. As long as the pain continues, we are dissatisfied and do all we can to avoid it. Yet even when we experience pleasant things we are never content. We either fear that the pleasure might disappear, or we hope that it will intensify."

Call our need for more distractions. 

Pride. Pride manifests as overconfidence, taking an opponent too lightly, the "trap game." The opposite of pride is humility. You've all heard the adage, "stay humble, stay hungry." Benjamin Franklin wrote, “There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility." 

Humility was a core Don Meyer value, along with passion, unity, servant leadership and thankfulness. Basketball teaches humility - hard losses, injury, uneven performance - even great players have bad games. 

Pride and humility relate to managing ego. Bill Russell had a mature approach, "my ego demands - for myself - the success of my team." 

Envy. Envy relates to minutes, role, and compensation (including recognition). Madeleine Blois's outstanding book, In These Girls Hope Is a Muscle, reveals the rivalry between two star players that had to be bridged for success. 

Envy occurs at every level of sport, from within and sometimes outside teams. You remember the extreme case of the Texas Cheerleader Murder plot. You've seen parents jockey for influence to elevate their child's role. Envy is as old as Cain and Abel. 

Wrath. Anger is a 'pure' emotion. Where I grew up five decades ago, a disgruntled parent sought to have the coach replaced after his son was cut. In a town that had sent a championship football team to Bermuda three years earlier, suddenly for some it was about participation, not winning. 

Sometimes another deadly sin (e.g. envy) morphs into wrath. Creating a straw man argument is one way wrath appears. Rather than attack a coach's competence an opponent may focus on a small part of the coach's approach to undermine them. 

Wrath may get directed outside the team, such as at officials. But it lives within as bullying, sexism, racism, and other conflicts. 

Sloth. Sloth is one of the deadly S's - selfishness, softness, and sloth (laziness). Sometimes sloth appears as complacency after success. Nobody misses the lazy employee who quits. "Don't cheat the drill." In ideal circumstances, the best players are the hardest workers and thrive with coaching. 

Greed. Greed is about wanting more than is needed or earned. Players want more - recognition and money. 

Beyond high scorers, Coach Dean Smith went out of his way to recognize other contributors to victory. Professor Adam Grant's book Give and Take examines how sharing credit often brings more to us than hogging it. "Givers code of honor is: A) show up, B) Work hard, C) Be kind and D) take the high road. Givers create psychological safety- a climate where everyone feels they can contribute and it’s okay to fall flat and fail or being judged or punished. Psychologically safe environments help people learn and innovate more."

In the salary cap era, concentration of payroll on one player creates weakness in a team's 'middle class.' Tom Brady took less pay than many other similar players that allowed for a better supporting cast...and championships.

Gluttony. Gluttony describes overeating. Some players literally eat their way out of jobs. Having the discipline to restrain our appetite and optimize strength and conditioning separates elite performers. 

Nobody has uttered a greater truth.

Lust. In John McPhee's A Sense of Where You Are, he writes about Bill Bradley's Princeton basketball experience. As I recall, Coach van Breda Kolff wrote at a team meeting in big letters on the board, GIRLS, in smaller letters, FOOD, and in small letters, BASKETBALL. Teams fall apart over relationships of many different types. 

Solutions. "Knowledge is power." How can we know? Communication with players is essential. Coaching girls, I've sometimes benefited from having female assistants who relate to players better. Parents may also share concerns about rivalries and conflicts. They are always present, whether we realize it or not. 

Women are from Venus. Feelings matter. Share Maya Angelou's wisdom. Appeal to the players' emotions. 

The elephant is in the room. Deal with it. 

Lagniappe (something extra). Read the help, move the defense. 

Effective fakes can be subtle and the game rewards explosive moves off the fake. 

Lagniappe 2. Screening the zone (top, middle, or bottom) can create separation. 

"Fist down" from MSU and Tom Izzo. 

Lagniappe 3. Kevin Eastman quotes. 

“The most successful coaches and leaders . . have put a lot of thought into what they believe in and how they feel that their team or their organization should operate."

“Sustained success doesn’t happen by accident . . you have to be intentional."

“Clarity must precede accountability. If you have not done a good job of defining exactly what it is that you need out of . . your player . . then I don’t believe . . we have the right to hold that player accountable.”

Lagniappe 4. Adam Grant. "The most meaningful way to succeed is to help other people succeed." Find something to take away and succeed.