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How do young people advance as leaders before others? When they share, listen.
1. "Never be the smartest person at your own meeting."
Surround ourselves with people with complementary, high-level skills. In basketball, that might include a player development coach, an offensive or defensive coordinator (analogy to football), or a "special situations" coach.
2. "Write it down or it did not happen."
People forget. We tend to remember "peak" moments, end moments, and emotional moments. We don't remember perfectly, a strong argument for recording and writing down what happened.
How many games have you seen lost, some excruciating, because what was taught or said, was forgotten in the heat of competition?
After Action Reviews or postmortem examinations add value by documenting 'corporate memory'.
3. "Answer the question you were asked."
Every day we see "leaders" evade the hard questions, dodging, ducking, or deflecting.
That doesn't mean that "masters of deflection" don't demean the profession. Coaches need to address the "character and competence" details that win and lose games.
4. "One page always"
"Brevity is the soul of wit." - Shakespeare
5. "Volunteer for the thing nobody wants."
What is the 'anchor' around metaphorical coaching necks? It could be 'cutting players' (The Turk), fundraising, breaking down film. Expertise in important but unwanted tasks builds our experience and value.
6. "Never complain upward without an option."
Coaching is problem solving. Whining for the sake of whining achieves less than nothing. Bring solutions to the table. Big questions are out there.
"How does it feel to be coached by me?"
"Do I understand this well enough to explain it clearly?"
"Is the perception of the star and the last player on the bench the same? The same "fairness" may not be equal.
7. "Learn the money."
You say, "there is no 'money' in high school or lower level basketball." Chuck Daly said that "every player wants 48 - 48 minutes, 48 shots, 48 million." The metaphorical money for us is the Unholy Triad of minutes, role, and recognition. Players not getting "the money," respond in many ways, most of which don't advance the story.
8. "Leave on time twice a week."
Life rewards balance. Work-life or basketball-life balance challenge every achiever. Sport can be a cruel mistress, demanding ever more of our time, attention, and emotion. Seek balance.
9. "Tell people what you want."
As each of us has heard from our parents, boss, or children, "I'm not a mind reader. Let me know what you need." Sometimes our story advances when we've said, "Yes" to many requests and sometimes we protect ourselves by saying, "No." Learning both are skills.
Steal some of these to survive and thrive.
Lagniappe. Zak (and Etorre Messina) always have a lot to share.
