Explore an Uncommon
Approach to Leadership!
Joe Montana
Wright Thompson On Joe Montana. I loved this passage:
It's the moment that matters. Not records. He was fine to let his trophies burn. He misses the moments. The moments are what he thinks about when he sits at home and watches Brady play in a Super Bowl. He's not jealous of the result or even the ring. He's jealous of the experience.
"To sit in rare air ..." Ronnie Lott says, searching for the words.
"... is like being on a spaceship."
Breathing rare air changes you. Every child who's sucked helium from a birthday balloon knows this and so does Joe Montana and everyone who ever played with him. It's the feeling so many kids hoped to feel when they slipped on the No. 16 jersey and let the mesh drape over their arms.
"He breathed rare air with me," Lott says, and the way he talks about air sure sounds like he's talking about love.
Attitude
Attitude is the ultimate buzzword. We use the word all of the time, but we don't really define what it means. It's a vague term we use to fit the narrative we want to create.
You hear about how important attitude is all the time. We say you can choose your own attitude. But we talk about attitude like it is simple. Decide you want to work hard and you will work hard today. Decide you want to have a great day and you'll have a great day. If it was that simple and that easy to choose your attitude, I don't think it would be that important to everyone.
It's easy to say "have a great attitude." But I don't think your attitude is just simply a choice you make that day. Somebody who gets upset about something they care about doesn't necessarily have a bad attitude. And someone who lets everything go and doesn't rock the boat at all might have a good disposition, but are they taking things seriously enough to be successful?
Your attitude, to me, ends up being defined by one general question: What is really important to you? The things that matter to you are what shape your attitude, a lot more than a decision you make to just be positive and happy that day.
For example, if your team is really important to you, it's hard to have a bad attitude about your playing time. If the most important thing is what happens to your team, you put that above what happens to you. That's not to say you don't want to play more or try and improve your chances to play - but not playing won't affect your attitude.
If you are really about working on your game and getting better, then criticism from a coach won't have a negative impact on you. You want to get better, and your coach is trying to make you better. No matter how they do it, if improving is important to you, your attitude towards criticism will reflect that.
If you are a team first guy, an official's call won't impact your approach to the next play. Criticism in a team film session will have positive impact on you. Practice at 7 AM on a Saturday will be an opportunity for you, not a pain in the ass.
You don't get up at 6 AM to go lift weights and just decide to have a great attitude that day. You show up with the right attitude because improvement matters to you, and your team matters to you. You don't decide to smile that day. People with a bad attitude don't have the right perspective. People with the right attitude have a clear idea of what is important to them, and they take a mature approach.
You don't choose your attitude. You choose what is important to you. Your attitude is a reflection of that.
Coach The Response
I really like this phrasing as a coaching approach - coach the response harder than the mistake.
Do you really want your guys to move on to the next play? It's hard for them to do if you are still coaching the mistake.
Cameron Indoor
I was keeping an eye on the Carolina-Duke and a friend texted me asking me what it was like playing at Duke. It brought back a great memory. I've watched Carolina-Duke games since I was old enough to remember, and that rivalry really defined college basketball for me ever since I was in high school.
In my 3rd year at Maine we went down to Duke to play a buy game. We needed to bring in close to $400,00 dollars in money games just to have a manageable budget at Maine. Because of that we looked for one or two games each year that would be a great experience for our kids, and Duke was looking for an opponent on a certain day that worked for us. When you have to go on the road to make money and you are going to get your head kicked in, you might as well make it a memorable experience for your players.
When that game came out on our schedule it was a big deal for Maine basketball. The game would be on national TV (what Duke game isn't?) and an opportunity for our alumni to get together and share a great experience. The game turned into a bigger deal because at the time North Carolina was dealing with the controversial HB2 law regarding discrimination, and a number of states would not allow any state entities to do business in North Carolina. Certain teams were canceling games or changing their schedule because they weren't allowed to spend state money to travel to state that had a discriminatory law.
My AD approached me late in the summer and said there might be an issue. He wasn't sure if the state was going to allow us to go play the game. I asked him where I was supposed to get the $85,000 they were going to pay us for our budget. We really couldn't survive that year as a program without that money.
We decided to make the entire trip an educational experience. We talked to our guys about the HB2 law and what they knew about it. We brought in speakers to talk to them about the effects of homophobia and discrimination. I remember when we actually went to Duke and practiced at Cameron Indoor, we met with some members from Athlete's Ally on the Duke campus. We opened our guys minds up to conversations about stuff that they hadn't really thought about before. For the game, our team wore rainbow colored warm up shirts from our league's "You Can Play" campaign. Overall, it was a great educational experience for our guys.
But it became a national story in the media, and that took up a lot of energy. I remember on the day of the game talking to my AD on the phone, and he still wasn't sure if the Governor of Maine was going to let us play. We were in North Carolina heading over to shoot around in the morning, with a 5:00 tip set on ESPNU, and I was having conversations about whether or not we were going to play. I made sure to tell him (and our team) that they weren't required to wear the warm up shirts or think a certain way. I just wanted them to be open to a conversation about a way of thinking that was maybe different to them. The way they handled it was terrific. It turned into a great learning experience for everyone, myself included.
I had to go to an alumni event before the game, so I didn't go over on the team bus. One thing I'll always remember is they were asking what time I was getting to campus and what type of vehicle I was arriving in. That seemed odd to me.
At Duke they have a state trooper who is assigned to the opposing team's head coach, from the time he gets on campus until the time he leaves. They had to know when I was coming to campus and what vehicle I was arriving in. As soon as I got on campus, there was a state trooper to greet us. He met us at the entrance and followed us to where we parked. When I got out of the car, he walked with me to Cameron Indoor. I asked him what his name was, and he told me - Frank Gore. I thought he might be related to the running back, but he wasn't. I'll be he's never been asked that question before. But I'll never forget his name.
We walked a bit of campus to get to Cameron (there isn't a parking lot right next to the building), and I thought it was kind of funny. Campus was buzzing and as we got close to Cameron we could see a bunch of fans hanging out in front of the building, with the students lined up waiting to get in (this was probably an hour and forty five minutes before the game). I chuckled imagining what it was like for Roy Williams to take that walk before a game, with the Duke students all over him. I walked in and they had no idea who I was. But I had my own cop. Frank Gore.
Cameron is a spectacular, simple place. At its core it's really just a gym, but it feels like a cathedral. They have an incredible hall of fame and lobby that takes you through the history of Duke basketball. But the bones of the place are really like your CYO gym. The locker rooms are nothing special (at least for the Maine Black Bears). When the fans walk to their seats before the game and at halftime they have to walk in front your bench to get to their seats. It has an incredible feeling of your neighborhood gym, except its one of the elite venues in all of sports.
For a building of its size, it is built perfectly. Every seat is right on top of you. There are about 9,000 seats, but it feels like 3,000. The students get in early and make noise the entire time. The buzz, the feel, the energy is just special. I'm a golfer, and I've made a couple of trips to Scotland to play the Old Course. Cameron had that type of feel when I was in it. It almost felt like that was where the game was invented.
Coach K could not have been a better guy. It was a little weird to see him walk out and come over to shake my hand. Both teams had suffered a bunch of injuries (granted, one of his was to Jayson Tatum), and we had lost 3 starters for the year. He said hello and I said "Thanks for having us." He said "I hope you guys get healthy. And I hope we get healthy too." A good friend of mine took a picture of our handshake and actually sent it to Coach K to ask him to sign it. About a month later I got a copy of the picture in the mail with a note that said "Bob - best of luck in your career. Coach K."
I remember we were down 9 late in the first half with the ball, our guys were playing hard and together. Then we turned it over and gave up an easy basket, and Luke Kennard hit a long 3 at the halftime buzzer. I thought we were okay, but we went into the locker room down by 14. I probably don't need to tell you how the second half went.
The energy is Cameron is just different. Growing up in the 80s as a college basketball nut, I'm sure it hit different for me. I started high school in 1986, the first year Duke went to the Final Four under Coach K. It was the venue in college basketball, the place where the biggest games were played.
My family and friends came down for the game, and that made it special. A bunch of my former players from Rhode Island College came down. I still have a picture with them on center court at Cameron.
It's hard to believe that a small, old building like that has such a big place in the college basketball landscape. Obviously it's a credit to Coach K and what he built. But there is just nothing like it. It's amazing to think over all of the years and with all of the success they never build a 20,000 seat arena.
If you get a chance to go, go. Pay for the ticket. Plan a trip with your buddies. Take your kids down for a game during February break. There is just nothing else like it in college basketball. Whether you love Duke or hate them, it doesn't matter. It's just one of those experiences that is different.
Listen To Them
"I have to be willing to listen to them."
First year Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang, talking about this players.
Shaka Smart Year Two
Interesting look at how Shaka Smart helped transform Marquette in year 2 without bringing in any major new players.
Mike Brey
I saw Mike Brey speaking to a group of coaches once at the Final Four, and one of them asked him about his team rules. Brey laughed and said "We have a sign in the locker room at Notre Dame. It says 'Take care of your schoolwork and the basketball, and we'll get along just fine.' That pretty much sums up our list of rules." He went on to talk about how he builds trusts with his guys and sets a standard of expectations, and they all understand what the means, so they don't really feel the need to have a lot of team rules.
Coach Brey's gift, to me, was not ever taking himself too seriously in a business where that isn't easy to avoid. He was the head basketball coach at Notre Dame, one of the most famous universities in the world. It would have been easy to build an impressive ego over the years, but he never did. He kept it simple, trusted his kids, treated them (and everyone else) with respect, and had a ton of success.
When Notre Dame was in the Big East I knew their staff pretty well, and I remember Rod Balanis telling me that when they traveled they were required to leave after classes during the week. They couldn't leave early and miss class the day before they played. We played them one time on a Saturday at Noon, and he told me they landed in Providence at around 11 PM the night before the game. And they were flying commercial, always taking the last flight of the day out of Chicago so the kids could get to all of their classes that day. In an era when most coaches want to be in town at least 24 hours before tip off and have no issue practicing at 10 AM on campus before leaving, Notre Dame required that they do it a little differently, and Mike Brey took it all in stride. He was the head coach at Notre Dame, and that was just part of the deal.
Mike Brey was proof to me that you can be successful in this business at a high level and still keep things in perspective, without a huge ego or taking yourself too seriously. He's always been one of the genuinely good people in the business.
Georgia Football's Four Values
Kirby Smart just won his second straight national championship at Georgia. Here are the 4 program values that sustain his culture.
Resilience
- Fight through when you feel the urge to succumb to pressure or hardship
- Practices are tougher than games/Extra weight sessions in-season
- Prepare for the tough times before they happen - anticipate adversity
Composure
- Check your emotions
- Focus on the next task
- Come together with your teammates
- Coaches hand out "composure cards on the sideline"
Toughness
- Practice is a battle. Very physical, they don't hold back. In pads 3 days a week.
- Confronts undesired behavior immediately
- Either you are in or out
Connection
- Team activities called "Skull Sessions"
- 15 minute meetings - discuss history lessons, business case studies, that relate to tough times during games
- Building bonds amongst players
The 4 values come down to:
- Overcoming adversity
- Living up to a program standard
- Staying disciplined in tough times
- Developing deep connections
Great strategies for any teams.
Credit: @TheDaily_Coach
Steve Kerr Moments
Steve Kerr continues to be as thoughtful and real as any coach in the game.
Coaching and Family
I've never been a big fan of teams that use the word "family," even though just about everyone does it. First of all, we aren't that close. I've had players ay "these are my brothers right here." Really? You just met 3 of them a month ago. You became brothers because you are good at basketball and you chose the same school?
I love this quote from Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator at Georgia. This is real, despite whether or not it says "Family" on the back of your shorts or your locker room wall.
"Our System Is Our Players"
Ed Cooley on his system at Providence and he how and his staff adjust to his players:
“You’ve got to adjust with your personnel. There are so many coaches who are just based on system. Our system is our players. We as coaches have to adjust to them."
Big Games
Every game counts the same in the standings, but some games are bigger than others. Whether it's a rivalry game, a game to decide the league title, or a do-or-die post-season game, you can feel the difference when preparing for a big game. Let's face it, UConn at Providence is different than when Depaul comes to town, and everyone knows it.
We had a lot of success in March at Rhode Island College and we played in a lot of big games in the regular season. We were won the league six times in nine years, and finished second twice and third once. We were always in contention for the league title, which meant a lot of big games.
The key for us with big games was when things started to feel different, not to do anything different. We had no problem talking about how big the game was - if you play college basketball at an elite program you want to play in big games. You have to recognize it. But the key is not to change what you do. Of course it feels different, and everyone knows what is at stake. That pressure is a good thing. If you acknowledge that pressure it will likely have less of an impact on your approach.
We were picked to win the league every year I coached at Rhode Island College. There was a stretch of six straight years where the winner of our first game against Eastern Connecticut, which for some reason was always played in December as one of the first league games, went on to win the league. Even though it was usually the first or second league game of the year, we always talked about it as a title fight. We knew that the winner of that game usually took control of the league, so we made it a point to recognize that.
What we established at RIC over time, however, that really made a difference in big games was how we practiced every day. We made sure our compete level was elite every day. We didn't have walk-throughs or go half speed. If our guys needed a break we gave them a day off, or we just went with a shorter practice. But we made it a point to talk about the way we prepared every day. No matter what time of year or who our next opponent was, we were preparing to win big games. We were preparing to win games on the road against great teams. We were preparing to win tough games when two starters were out or we got into foul trouble.
We emphasized the way we prepared every day. We talked about big games, adversity, handling everything that goes into winning in tough environments. Our approach to big games was long-term. When we got to a week where we had a really big game, and everyone could feel the pressure and the hype, we just had to be ourselves. We prepared the way we always did, without doing anything different because of the big game. We didn't want have to change to win big games, we just had to be ourselves.
Confrontation and Solitude
Leadership is not always comfortable. In fact, it rarely is for the majority of the group. Leadership is not great chemistry and everyone enjoying each other's company. When things are going well and everyone is happy, impactful leadership generally isn't necessary. Great leadership involves confronting bad behavior, and often leaves those in charge out on their own. Leadership can be very lonely. Great leaders have to be comfortable being alone.
One of my first lessons in leadership as a head coach came in my first year at Rhode Island College. It was maybe a week or two after I had taken the job, and I was still getting to know my players. I would often see them in the recreation center where my office was in the afternoon as they were gathering to play pick-up, and I'd get a chance to talk with them before they played.
On this particular day I had been recruiting the day before, so I hadn't seen them before or after their pick-up games. Our only senior (who would turn out to be my first captain) Kevin Payette came by the office before heading into the gym, and I asked him how the pick-up games yesterday had been. He said "They were crap, coach, to be honest. It was sloppy, guys weren't competing hard, there was a lot of arguing going on. They weren't very good." I replied, only half-serious, "So what are we going to do about that?" Figuring I'd get a quizzical look, I was kind of surprised with what I heard. "We got up this morning at 7 AM and ran as a team, Coach. We took care of it."
I was pretty surprised. I remember thinking "wow, we might have something here." What type of team, especially one that came back to school in September without a coach when their coach took another job in August, gets together to run at 7 AM because their pick-up games were sloppy? That was one of my first lessons in ownership. KP and the rest of the team had taken ownership of the program in the fall when there was a coaching transition. They set their own standards for their team, and when they didn't live up to them their were consequences. Everyone who was a part of the team or who was planning on trying out showed up to run at 7 AM that morning.
The maturity and level of ownership were really impressive. But what really struck me when I had that conversation with KP was the risk he had to take to confront the bad behavior. First of all, confrontation isn't easy for most. Many of just just try and avoid it at all costs. But confrontation is essential to good leadership. If you want to implement change you have to confront bad behavior. And when you do, especially if you don't have a lot of support, leadership can be very lonely. Do you think the 20+ guys who were playing that day felt some sloppy pick-up games were worth getting up at 7 AM for? I'm sure it wasn't a popular decision in that gym, but it was the right one, and it was important. We have standards here, and if we don't live up to them there are consequences.
The right leadership choices don't always feel good. Leadership takes guts. You have to be willing to go against what's popular to do what is right. In fact, many of the most important leadership decisions I have made didn't feel very good. But I knew what I was doing was important, and I was convinced it was right.
Leadership will often lead you to confrontation, and it will be very lonely at times. You have to have the conviction in your beliefs and the mental capacity to handle the way it feels. When it comes to strong leadership, confrontation and solitude often come with the territory. Embrace it.