Teambuilding

I don’t watch much basketball anymore, and I’m not alone.  While some fans revel in the idea that winning teams score 140 points in many games, purists look at today’s game and regret the loss of defense.  Today’s players are the best shooters ever, but you don’t get to score 50 or 60 times if the other team isn’t at least trying to stop you.

A recent discussion about this led me back to a time when we were playing serious basketball in Detroit, with the 1989-91 Detroit Pistons.  I know the whole “sports as a metaphor for life” trope is pretty well spent, but I still can’t help but look at that team and get some life lessons:

Inspired leadership  The head coach of the Pistons was Chuck Daly, one of the nattiest dressers in the history of the NBA.  Coach Daly was brilliant because he brought two things to the game:

• An amazing understanding of all parts of basketball
• A willingness and humility to apply that knowledge to the talent he was given

This is the essential one-two punch for success in your field.  You have to know what your work is all about, but you also have to know the strengths and weaknesses of the personnel you’re leading.

The holes in the field  Having a knack to see what’s missing in the world around you is a real plus in life as well.  For Coach Daly, it was defense—just as the NBA was going cuckoo about high scoring games, he knew good defense could bring scorers to a grinding halt, and made the most of that.

Building the right team  Playing good defense in the NBA means you have to be willing to stand in front of players moving with the speed, and mass, of a freight train.  This is less a question of physique, and more a question of attitude.  The 89-91 Pistons were called the Bad Boys because they didn’t mind taking the hit.  Likewise, their understanding of defense meant they knew when the other team was playing loose when Detroit had the ball, so they were also undeterred by the idea of making contact on offense to draw a foul. If that’s the game you play, you don’t want ballerinas on your team.

Chucking the plan  Coach Daly knew how to design great offenses to be sure, but he also knew something else.  The Pistons had a guy on the bench named Vinnie Johnson, who usually was inserted late in the first quarter.  If Vinnie made his first shot, great; if he made his second shot, terrific. If he made three shots in a row, which was often, the Pistons had a new offensive scheme—Give the Ball to Vinnie.  His runs of five, six, seven consecutive shots were legendary, so when he was on, the coach and his teammates were smart enough to make the most of a good thing. Plans are great, unless something better comes along.

Remembering who’s in charge  Going against the grain of offense-heavy basketball didn’t always play well in the media, where the Pistons were often painted as bullies.  Coach Daly could have responded by being an apologist for his team.  Instead, he always talked about tactics, which really was his answer—no, we’re not thugs, we’re really smart basketball players.  If you deny the premise of the accusation, you own the theme of the answer.

No need to wear your jersey to the office.  Just take these lessons to heart, and there will be more than sufficient new order on your court.

Daily Prayer

It’s so easy to remember
Identity
Self
Creator
When birdsong gently nudges
And window shades surrender dawn at their edges.
That peace could transform
The commute
The budget meeting
Toilet training
But how to get it there.
Cup it in hands
Held close to the heart
And eyes
That will not yield the horizon.

Like what you see? Subscribe for free!