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Saturday, October 8, 2022

Coaching: Find "The Right Guy"

Study greatness. Ask "what makes great, great?" 

Don't make excuses. "I'll never get to meet Jack Clark" or "I don't have the access." Use what we have, the people we meet and the books we read. We meet exceptional people every day. They might be your parents. Recognize exceptional. 

Read Sam Walker's The Captain Class ("The easiest way to lead is to serve") or Don Yaeger's Great Teams. Pick up a biography on DaVinci or Ben Franklin or read about Lincoln or FDR. Ask, "what can I take forward from these lessons?" 

Dr. Fergus Connolly, human performance expert, shares lessons he's learned in 59 Lessons: Working with the World's Greatest Coaches, Athletes & Special Forces." He helps us understand what inputs drive success. By extension, their absence predicts lower performance. 

Use experience as guidance but recognize ours isn't enough. 


Recognize character.  
  • She is completely committed to success. 
  • Put the good of the team ahead of their own. "That doesn't mean thinking less of yourself but thinking less about yourself." 
  • Excel in your role while training to expand it. Be an ambitious giver.
Hire tough; find team players. 
  • Set up criteria beyond "likability" or "presents well." 
  • Dig into past behavior. "Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior." 
  • Develop a network of trusted sources. 
Seek and cultivate leaders. Not every team player will be a leader. 
  • Make great moments possible. "Leadership must intentionally create emotional moments that connect them to their greater purpose." - Don Yaeger
  • Leaders serve the team. From The Captain Class, "According to modern defensive metrics, Russell's career mark in defensive win shares is the best in NBA history-and by a 23 percent margin." (See table)
  • Leaders focus the team. "He is the person responsible for making sure the agenda of the organization is pursued." - Sam Walker

Summary: 
  • Study greatness.
  • Use experience but understand ours isn't enough.
  • Develop a network of trusted sources.
  • Recognize character.
  • Hire tough. 
  • Seek and cultivate leaders. 
Lagniappe. "Girls basketball..." Who teaches defense this way?


Lagniappe 2. 

Lagniappe 3. 

At what are we going to excel, to be our standard above all else? For examples, defeat pressure. Stop the pick-and-roll. Score efficiently in the half court. 

Lagniappe 4. "Discipline is power." 

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