Better coaching implies better thinking. Thinking better takes work. Being a "know it all" leads to error because we don't. High performance equals "intensive training plus rigorous attention to detail."
Be on an improvement trajectory. Mental models help.
"Mental models are a framework for understanding how the world really works. They help you grasp new ideas quickly, identify patterns before anyone else and shift your perspective with ease."
Here's an example. We see a game where one team dominates the other. The loser can't handle the ball, can't break the press. How good can they be? Apply sample size. "It's just one scrimmage." Apply "richness of data." Maybe the loser was missing their best players. The loser is 14-5 and a top eight seed in Massachusetts Division 1.
What are some powerful mental models? I'll pick three:
- Inversion. "What if we did the opposite?" If extending pressure isn't working, assess results focusing defense in the half court. Revisit how we divide practice time among offense and defense, technique and tactics. "Discipline is more important than conviction."
- Circle of Competence. "Stay in your lane" and "know your job." Teach our systems from what we know while doing the unrequired work to expand the Circle.
- Probabilistic thinking. "What is the likelihood of that happening?" Basketball results sum both skill and luck. If we know the points/possession for different play types, adjust our offense to increase scoring probabilities.
- Social proof. We rely on what other people think. Polls, social media, and popularity distort our judgment. People buy books and watch movies that are popular. J.K. Rowling's early book sales spiked only after Harry Potter. Countries hire people to promote ideas on social media. #ThinkforYourself
- Commitment and consistency bias. We hate being wrong. We'd rather stick to our guns than get it right. After we express a strong opinion or make an important choice, we stick with it. It's the scholarship student or NBA lottery pick who can't play but gets extra opportunities. It's the coaching choice that turns out to be a lemon or sticking with the overcompensated but unmotivated employee.
- Fundamental attribution error. We attribute behavior of others to character and judge our behavior based on situation. Steven Covey tells the story of a man on a train poorly supervising three noisy children. A fellow passenger says, "what's the matter with you? Can't you take care of them." The father says, "it's been so hard since my wife died." When a successful player underachieves, don't make assumptions, work to understand if a situation is affecting her play.
