Elite Performers as Teachers

“It’s often said that those who can’t do, teach. It would be more accurate to sat that those who can do, can’t teach the basics. A great deal of expert knowledge is tacit - it’s implicit, not explicit. The further you progress toward master, the less conscious awareness you often have of the fundamentals. Experiments show that skilled golfers and wine aficionados have a hard time describing their putting and tasting techniques - even asking them to explain their approaches is enough to interfere with their performance, so they often stay on autopilot. When I first saw an elite diver do four and a half somersaults, I asked how to managed to spin so fast. His answer: “Just go up in a ball.” Experts often have an intuitive understanding of a route, but they struggle to articulate all the steps to take.” - Adam Grant, Hidden Potential

I’m always reminded of workout I was doing with Herbert Hill when he was a redshirt freshmen at Providence College, and Ryan Gomes, who would go on to play 10 years in the NBA. Gomes was a college All-American, and Herb was a raw, skinny freshmen with a ton of potential but a long way to go (he’d go on to lead the Big East in scoring and rebounding and get drafted by the 76ers in the second round).

I was working with Herb on footwork, and Gomes was trying to help. But in trying to articulate what he did with his feet, Gomes was having trouble explaining himself to Herb. He could show Herb what he would do when he got cut off making his move and had to spin back to score, but he couldn’t really explain it in a way that Herb could understand. It was something that Gomes could do naturally, but couldn’t necessarily teach.

I just read Adam Grant’s latest book “Hidden Potential,” and he talks about many experts have trouble explaining what it is they are great at. I think a lot about great players who become coaches. We often think that someone who was elite at a certain sport would naturally make a great coach in that sport, but it isn’t always the case. That’s not to say you can’t be a great player and a great coach, but to do so I think you have to understand not only what made you great, but how to explain what made you great to others. That second part is not that easy.

Keep that in mind when you are thinking about leadership on our teams. The best players might not be able to articulate what they do that made them so good, and therefore might not be able to impact their teammates in the way you might like. Just because you have an elite peformer doesn’t mean they can teach others how they do it.