"Leaders make leaders." How? Model what leaders do and share leadership lessons with players.
1. Listen. Nelson Mandela learned from his father, who heard others speak first so he could give a more nuanced, thoughtful response.
2. Make the hard choices. Abraham Lincoln knew that a nation divided could not stand. He chose to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, although the Civil War had begun in April 1861 with the attack on Fort Sumter. Hard choices for coaches usually resolve personnel and behavior issues more than ideology.
3. Put people ahead of money. Merck CEO Roy Vagelos released millions of doses of ivermectin to treat onchocerciasis, a parasitic illness causing blindness in millions of Africans. Vagelos withstood pressure from shareholders, many who opposed a "giveaway." Years later, Japan rewarded Merck by opening their pharmaceutical markets. Let's face it, at higher levels of basketball, it's about the Benjamins.
4. Do the work. Players know competence, communication, and capacity to add value. Productive practice schedules and drills, and clear offensive and defensive plans model a success framework. As illustrated in books like Extreme Leadership, clear "Commander's Intent" gives players a plan for intermediate steps and desired end state.
5. Own your vision. The Miami Heat have a clear culture of excellence, "Be the toughest, nastiest, best-conditioned, most professional, least-liked team." Have a clear philosophy and blueprint for teaching it.
6. Be inclusive. Treat everyone fairly, which doesn't mean treating everyone identically. Reserve players deserve respect, communication, encouragement, and chances to improve.
7. Craft leadership opportunities. You don't have to be an upperclassman, a captain, or star player to lead. Jack Clark says, "We say that the definition of leadership is the ability to make those around you better and more productive. It’s a skill to us...On this team, the leadership model is open to everybody. For instance, even if you’re a freshman, you have the ability to make those around you better and more productive: Don’t be a distraction, be on time, know your stuff, play hard and well when you’re called on."
Vary players leading drills and consider having them give brief discussions (e.g. 2 minutes) on a topic, e.g. pick-and-roll defense. Help them through it.
8. Be solution focused. Finding problems isn't our goal. Find solutions that translate into game results - skill, strategy, athleticism, and the 'head game'.
9. Stay positive. "Negative attitudes never lead to positive lives." Attitude is contagious.
10."Invert, always invert." Ask players for opposites of leadership.
- Selfishness. Putting self before team with low effort, failure to pass, poor shot selection.
- Lack of toughness. Failure to go to the floor, fight through screens, block out, take charges.
- Being a bad teammate. Whining, sulking, not supporting others, and bigfooting younger players all lack leadership.
- Making excuses. Hold ourselves and players to high standards.
Bonus. Team reading. Share excellent books as team reading. Explore lessons chapter by chapter.
- "Legacy" by James Kerr
- "Toughness" by Jay Bilas
- "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu
- "Leadership in Turbulent Times" (advanced) by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- "The Leadership Moment" (advanced) by Michael Useem
- "Extreme Ownership" (advanced) by Jocko Willink
Coach Hanlen breaks the John Wall Scissor Step move for lethal separation.
Lagniappe 2. Take it "bird by bird." “Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
― Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life