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Protecting the Culture, Second Chances and Empathy

As a collegiate baseball coach I work mainly with 18-22 year old males. As a former person in this demographic, I can assure you young adults do dumb things. Sometimes really dumb things. 
When incidents occur there is a great deal of frustration. There is often pressure to remove the athlete or to impose a strong punishment. If your punishment doesn’t please the masses you appear soft on discipline. Or, worse yet, accusations emerge claiming you only care about winning.

Here’s what people forget, we are dealing with human beings. A human being who, with the right guidance, can make the most of a second chance. It’s much easier to remove a person from the team or organization. Removal has the outward presence of being a disciplinarian or “tough on crime.” 

What’s worse? There will be times when you provide a second or fifth chance and you get burned. The critics are even louder when this occurs. 

I don’t know if it’s the holiday season or the crazy state of the world, but the importance of empathy keeps reappearing. Below are three stories with short videos centering around second chances and empathy. Click on the title to view the video.


1.    The Story of Caron Butler– Butler played 14 seasons in the NBA. Presently he is an assistant coach with the Miami Heat. His success almost never happened. Raised in Racine, WI- Caron was arrested 15 times before his 15th birthday. At the age of 14, he received a year-long sentence. Upon his release, he committed to turning his life around. Less than two years removed from incarceration, Butler’s house was raided by the police. They found crack cocaine and other drugs in an adjacent garage. There was enough evidence for lead officer, Rick Geller, to arrest Butler. If convicted he would have faced a minimum sentence of 10 years. Geller trusted his instincts- he noticed Butler was in complete disbelief. In an unbelievable display of empathy, Geller decided not to issue an arrest. He told Butler, “I hope I don’t regret this.” Geller has been proven right. Butler now owns multiple Burger King franchises, works to bridge the gap between police and communities, and is active in supporting at-risk youth. What if Geller would have decided to charge Butler on that fateful day?


2.    Nick Saban on Second Chances– In a press conference in 2014, Nick Saban delivered an epic rant concerning second chances. When players get in trouble he challenged conventional thinking on discipline. “Where do you want them to be? On the streets? Or here graduating?” He then references Mohsin “Moose” Muhammed who Saban coached at Michigan State. Muhammed was arrested for having a loaded gun, which was in violation of his probation from a previous charge. “Everybody in the school, every newspaper guy, everybody was killing the guy because he got in trouble and said he shouldn’t be on the football team.” After an amazing NFL career, Muhammed is a leader in business and the community. He is the President of M2 Foundation for kids, he and his wife have adopted two daughters from Ethiopia, and he is also the cofounder of a private equity firm. Saban ends the rant by saying, “So, who was right?”  


3.    Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care- this video always makes me pause. It shows how every person is facing their own challenges. It’s a great reminder for all of us to be more forgiving and understanding. 

Final Thought:

I get it. The stories above are isolated accounts. There are times when second chances do not work out. The leader is charged with upholding organizational standards . Despite their best efforts to serve the individual, there are behaviors that warrant removal. There isn’t always another chance.


I hope, however, that today’s article gives you the strength to make decisions based upon what you believe to be right, not because of public pressure. Showing support for a person when the rest of the world appears to be abandoning them is incredibly powerful. It’s something that person never forgets. We all need an encourager to stand with us. The critics will always be there….who cares about them.

We are working with sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. As leaders, it’s our job to fight for the culture of our organization. But, we must remember to do it in the most human way possible. 

I have made mistakes, received a break, and capitalized on the second chance. 

Can you recall a time when you made a mistake, could have been severely punished, and received forgiveness? 

There’s a good chance someone showed you empathy. Maybe you’ll have an opportunity to pay the same grace forward. 

**Special shout out to coach Adam Mosley of Hoover High School and coach Tom Marker of Olentangy Orange for sharing the Caron Butler video.**

Mushin Muhammad article

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My Five Year Posting Anniversary

I wrote my first article Thanksgiving week, 2014.  Over these five years I’ve written between 140-165 articles.  My first year writing I posted on WordPress and I don’t know how many I wrote that year; therefore my count is bit vague.  I switched to Mailchimp in 2015 and have produced 139 articles over a four year span.  So, I’ve averaged somewhere between 28-33 articles a year.  If I were to guess the average length of each piece was between 800-900 words.  That means I’ve written and shared roughly 131,750 words! 
 
In celebration of the 5-Year Anniversary I wanted to share the random things I’ve learned: 

  • There are critics and performers in life- I want to perform and not criticize.
  • Taking risks is dangerous.
  • Playing it safe and small is deadly.
  • Your kids are more likely to become what you do, not what you say- model well.
  • Drive fast, take chances- you only live once. 
  • Your “voice” is the most important thing as a writer. 
  • The quicker you realize that internal success trumps external success the better.
  • Take care of your spouse first, your kids second.    
  • Minivans get a bad rap; if you have more than two kids buy one.
  • Make your present job the big time. 
  • Being able to self-reflect and evaluate is incredibly hard for most people.
  • Those who can self-reflect and evaluate possess a tremendous competitive advantage over those who can’t.
  • Sharing my thoughts has increased my accountability. 
  • Authenticity and vulnerability are attractive personality traits. 
  • Being physically present with family isn’t as important as society makes it out to be.
  • Being mentally present when you are with family is more important than society makes it out to be. 
  • Competitive sports are one of the last “no spin zones”: stewards of the game must fight to uphold this. 
  • A high performing team will beat a high performing individual.
  • Being a part of a team requires sacrificing a little of your individuality.
  • That sacrifice is totally worth it. 
  • We tend to exaggerate our hardships and minimize others.   
  • Culture is important but so is talent.
  • Leadership is important but so is “followership.” 
  • People want to help; have the courage to ask. 
  • If you aren’t curious it’s impossible to grow.
  • If you aren’t growing you are going to get run over.
  • Data and technology are here to stay but it will never replace human connection.
  • Haters are going to hate.
  • If you are looking for quick fixes you’ll be searching for a long time. 
  • Poor diet and lack of exercise manifest physically as you advance in age.
  • The older generation always has, and still continues to be disappointed in the younger generation.  
  • It’s time for the older generation to get over it.
  • Always leave it better than you found it.   
  • Detaching emotionally is important in successful decision making. 
  • Detaching emotionally from decision making can make detaching emotionally from family and friends more likely.  Be careful. 
  • Stop saying, “I’m old.” You are never old unless you want to be. 
  • When hiring read the candidates thank you note to the secretary and not the boss.
  • Defense wins championships. 
  • However, offense gets your name in the paper. 
  • Being busy is a choice. 
  • Carving out time to think, reflect, and create is worth the investment. 
  • You are not as important as you think…enjoy yourself. 
  • Kids haven’t changed, but adults have.
  • A funeral can be enjoyable- a life-well lived is inspiring. 
  • Timing and luck do matter.
  • The harder and smarter you work the odds of experiencing positive timing and luck increase.
  • Racism still exists and I can’t for the life of me understand why. 
  • If you are feeling down do something for someone else.
  • When your playing career concludes it will be better to be known as an unreal teammate than an unreal talent.
  • It won’t mean a thing if you didn’t earn it. 
  • If you would want it for your kids you ought to do it for yourself. 
  • There’s nothing like being a part of something bigger than yourself.

 
A sincere thank you for accompanying me on this journey.  The relationships and connections I’ve made or enhanced via this newsletter is incredibly full-filling.  Your patience and guidance is greatly appreciated. 
 
I’m just getting started, friends.  I look forward to growing and improving in the next five years.

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Multi-Sport Athletes and Professional Cross-Training

What’s better: to specialize in one sport or be a multi-sport athlete? In certain circles, this question is as controversial as opening up Thanksgiving dinner with, “who’d you vote for?”

My guess is the majority of collegiate coaches are in favor of multi-sport athletes. Each sport requires the body to use different muscles. In youth and adolescents, sport diversity can assist in better movement quality and body awareness.

Equal, if not more important, are the life and mental skills learned. For example, shooting a free-throw in front of a crowded gymnasium provides a pressure packed experience. This situation provides a feedback loop for the aspiring baseball player in managing high-leverage situations in the future.

While playing multiple sports is great, it’s not the only pathway. For various reasons, early specialization can benefit certain kids. For example, if one attends a large and talent-rich high school, it’s hard to make multiple teams. For some, their best shot is to specialize in one sport. 

The big miss, however, is when specialization fails to include cross-training. Cross-training can be defined as: “the action or practice of engaging in two or more sports or types of exercise in order to improve fitness or performance in one’s main sport.”

If an athlete decides to focus on one sport, their training should still include other techniques to enhance their skill set. Here’s an example from our baseball program. One of our players asked how he should approach enhancing his infield skills this off-season. The safe answer would have been prescribing infield specific drills; including lots of ground ball repetitions. Our conversation, however, concluded with us suggesting that playing racquetball and pick-up hoops would be his best pathway to improvement. .

Professional Cross-Training: I have a confession. Last year, I found myself becoming stagnant in baseball. For the first 15+ years of my career I could pour myself into learning sport specific technique and strategy. For the first time I felt a dangerous void in curiosity. The enthusiasm for learning just wasn’t at the level necessary for high performance. 
Luckily, I was introduced to a group of coaches and leaders outside of baseball. Over the past year, my growth has come from professional cross-training. I’ve had amazing conversations with coaches and coach developers from the world of cricket, rugby, gymnastics, soccer, and even Formula 1 racing. 
I’ve seen how the fundamentals of leadership, culture building and learning environments are applicable across various sports. The thrilling part for me is taking the lessons and applying them to our baseball program. 

How You Can Utilize Cross-Training: Have you ever felt stagnant in your growth? As we advance in our careers we tend to specialize. We add value in a particular area, lean into that area, and in a lot of cases become an expert. Even when seeking professional development opportunities we tend to engage with individuals from our same industry.
Could you benefit from learning opportunities in other sectors? If you are a lawyer could you spend time discussing customer service with a friend in sales? If you are a doctor, could you ask a football coach advice on their process for performance evaluation? If you are in business, could you ask an educator how to best shape a learning environment for an upcoming meeting? 

I believe you’ll find returning to a beginners mindset, a white-belt mentality, will reignite your curiosity. This shift in mindset will allow you to approach your area of expertise with new energy and passion. Opportunities will appear that have been missing. 

Questions for reflection:

1.    Where can you look outside of your industry for growth?

2.    How can you encourage cross-training amongst your employees?

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Look for Helpers

Look for the Helpers

“When I was a boy and I’d see scary things in the news, my mother would say, ‘Look for the helpers.  You’ll always find people who are helping.’ To this day, I remember her words and I’m always comforted that there are so many helpers, so many caring people in this world.” – Fred Rogers

I saw this quote and it stopped me in my tracks.  Here are my takeaways.  I would love to hear yours.

  1. Place a premium on selflessness.  Actively seek to surround yourself with people who have a servant, not entitled, mindset.  They’ll be happier and you’ll be happier as well.  
  2. Great people are everywhere. Despite what we see on the news, there are so many awesome people in the world.  It’s important to celebrate the goodness in humanity.  
  3. We choose our attitude.  Every day, we have a choice to live in a positive or negative state. What an incredibly powerful decision!

Join me this week intentionally “looking for the helpers.” Let’s do our part to be a positive life force.  

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National Letter of Intent and The Messy Middle

This week high school student-athletes from all over the country are signing National Letters of Intent. It’s a big day for the kids, their families and their communities.
It a joyous time for a couple reasons. First, it is validation for the athlete’s talent and hard work. Years of commitment and sacrifice earned them the opportunity. It’s the end of a tough but rewarding expedition. Secondly, it’s the beginning of a new journey. Joining a new team and school is exhilarating. 
It’s a collision of the bookends- the conclusion of one phase and the beginning of a new endeavor. It’s a day that needs celebrated. However, today’s article is about what happens in the middle. 

The Real Student-Athlete Journey:

While signing day is often filled with smiles, the actual journey of a collegiate athlete is messy. When the student-athlete arrives on campus they are immediately faced with challenges. There are small changes like doing laundry, waking themselves up, and managing their own schedule. There are bigger challenges like homesickness. And then, they experience their first training session. Reality quickly sets in. They are not being recruited anymore. All the athletes are committed and competitive. In many cases they are overmatched both physically and mentally. The euphoria of signing day seems long ago. 
During the journey there are highs coupled with lows. Coaches are constantly challenging the athlete to improve. FOMO is real. Athletes see the social media post of their friends “living the good life” and feel they are missing out. Everyone else is having fun and they are knee deep in the struggle. Is it all worth it? 

The Messy Middle:

Vulnerability and courage expert, Brene Brown, refers to this time as the “messy middle” or “day 2.” On the surface, this stage feels awful: there are struggles, strife and uncomfortable situations. Ones resolve is tested again and again. There’s also boredom and monotony.   
While most people tend to celebrate at the beginning and end, Brown celebrates the middle. “The middle is messy, but it’s also where all the magic happens, all the tension that creates goodness and learning.” 

Thoughts for Parents:

I wish I could tell you that your child’s journey was going to be smooth and happy from start to finish. That’s just not the case. 
I often get asked by friends who have collegiate athletes, “I feel helpless. What can I do for them?”
I’d like to turn to Brene again. I believe her advice is spot on:


1.    Name It: Acknowledging that collegiate athletics are tough is a great start. Brene refers to the second day of a three day seminar as “Day 2” because she knows that it is the most challenging time. The Navy Seals use the phrase “Embrace the suck” during rigorous training. Naming the event can help.

2.    Normalize it: One thing is certain, the path to any great accomplishment is filled with speed bumps. There isn’t a high performer on the planet that hasn’t dealt with rejection and failure. This is part of the process.

3.    Put it in Perspective: The compared to what test is powerful. This situation is bad compared to what: fighting a terminal illness, poverty, battling in a war. Regaining a sense of perspective is critical.

4.    Reality Check Expectations: Did we really think this was going to be easy? This is a good time to self-reflect, and maybe even laugh, at how misguided the original expectations were. 

Final Thought:

The messy middle doesn’t just apply to signing day and collegiate athletes. This process plays itself out over and over again in life. Wedding day is the celebration followed by the struggles of doing life together. Accepting a new job gets tons of congratulations texts and tweets. A few weeks into the job, however, we see the flaws of the organization. Presently, we are in the middle of the COVID pandemic. If the present moment isn’t messy, I don’t know what is. 
Here’s the amazing part. We know that messiness is a part of our life’s journey. No one is immune to it. Just like the collegiate athlete and parent, we have the power to choose how we respond to our circumstances. We can make the choice to lean into the obstacles and embrace the difficult time knowing that eventually we will emerge in a better position. We can remind ourselves that adversity is actually what makes life special. 
Congratulations to all of the student-athletes who were able to commit to their next journey. Be proud; you earned it. The good news is you have a new expedition ahead that will be messy to say the least. Think about how beautiful that mess is going to be. 

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A Letter To My Kids Future Coach

Dear Future Coach of My Kids:
 
I’ve been coaching for over 15 years and have been involved in sports all my life.  To say sports are important to me is an understatement.  I believe, when done well, sports have the power to transform lives.  I’m not sure to what extent our children will be involved with sports.  However, I know that they will need coaching in whatever co-curricular activity they choose: dance, music, theatre, forensics or the arts.
 
I’m writing today because I want you to hear from me before I become completely irrational.  Our oldest child is nine, but I can already feel the “craziness” coming on.  Love is like a drug and can make us say and do things we normally wouldn’t.  Over the years of playing and coaching I have witnessed pillars of the community (lawyers, doctors, pastors, and teachers) completely out of character when it comes to their children.  Even more eye-opening has been my discussion with other coaches about their kids.  It’s ironic, the same coaches that complain about over-involved parents are the same ones criticizing and being overly involved in their kids’ activities.
 
With that being said, I want you to read these words as you work with our children in the future.  This is the real me speaking, not the love induced, wild man who isn’t thinking clearly.
 
1.  Honor the Game (or Discipline): Sports have been around for a long-time. We, as individuals, need the game way more than it needs us.  My hope is you honor the game and make our children accountable for treating it with respect.  In baseball, that means running on and off the field, backing up bases, celebrating teammates’ success and many other small things. It will be easy to look the other way and ignore it; you won’t want to constantly discipline our kids, but please hold them accountable.   As a parent, I won’t like seeing my child reprimanded.  It will hurt my ego.  It’s quite possible I will think you are picking on them. Rational me knows this isn’t the case.  You are honoring the sanctity of the game and teaching them that life isn’t all about them.
 
2.  Make Them Earn It: Entitlement can be defined as wanting something without earning it.  In co-curricular activities this could be playing time, a role in a musical, or chair in a recital.  Chances are you will care about all of the kids you have in your organization.  You’ll want them all to be happy and enjoy their experience.  This isn’t possible.  Also, the beauty of sports is developing work ethic and positive habits.  You develop these skills with no guarantees of success; or, better put, no guarantee of success as you presently define it.  In advance, I want you to know that I will question your decisions at times.  I won’t agree and I may even share with you or others my displeasure.  Tune me out.  I’m not thinking straight.  Making my kids earn their role is teaching them a great life lesson.  Please help them to understand that everything is earned and nothing is given. 
 
3. Pursue Excellence: Activities serve a purpose; however, the pursuit of excellence is where the major rewards exist.  There will be pressure from me and others to, “take it easy.”  Or you’ll hear, “Relax, it’s just a game.”  It is uncomfortable for kids and parents to be outside of their comfort zone.  However, outside of the comfort zone is where growth takes place.  Myself and others won’t see it at the time, but by not allowing average effort, you are teaching a life skill.  Please provide an uncommon commitment to excellence.  We’ll all thank you later.
 
4. Play a Role in Their Development: One of the great things about being a coach is helping shape the values and characters of those you lead.  Please do not take that responsibility lightly.  With that being said, don’t feel the pressure to impact every person, every day.  You see, myself and others read a lot.  We hear about mentor coaches like John Wooden.  Here’s the catch, the books and stories about these great leaders are typically written after their retirement when there has been time for reflection.  Don’t be fooled, these mentor coaches made mistakes, had players that didn’t like them, and had issues along the way.  Even your mistakes and shortcomings are making an impact. Life is tough and no one is perfect.  Myself and others are likely to point out your imperfections.  We are projecting on you.  Stay strong.
 
5.  Enjoy the Journey: If you get the opportunity to coach, appreciate the beauty.  People admire what you do.  There will be times, many times, where you will question if it is all worth it.  People like me will interfere and make your journey challenging.  Try to look at these people and other negative situations as a necessary evil.  It’s not you personally.  Whoever resides in your seat will feel the heat.  Learn to not take yourself too seriously.  Laugh often.  Enjoy those you lead.  Outside forces will make that tough.  Don’t allow us to break your spirit.  If it were easy, everyone would do it.  You are the leader of this expedition.  Enjoy it!
 
Coach, I wanted to thank you in advance for working with our children.  I’m going to work hard on myself to be a great model for the other parents.  After witnessing so many awesome people lose their way, I just cannot guarantee I will be successful.  So, take this letter, stuff it away, and re-read it when you are working with our kids.  Just know that you are making a difference and we appreciate all that you do.

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World Series Game 6 and Decision Making Process

Blake Snell had it going. Facing elimination, the Tampa Bay Rays needed a big effort from their starting pitcher. Snell delivered. Through 5 innings he had struck out 9, allowed 1 hit and was holding a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers Austin Barnes, known for his defensive prowess, led off the bottom of the 6th with a harmless single. This brought Rays manager, Kevin Cash, to the mound. He decided to replace Snell with ultra-reliable reliever, Nick Anderson. The Rays did not get the outcome they wanted. Two runs scored in the 6th and by the end of the night the Dodgers were World Series champions.
Cash’s decision almost broke the internet. Everyone had an opinion. The majority of fans responded something like this, “How could you take him out, he’s dominating?” There were also supporters. This camp praised the manager for trusting the data and process that enabled the small market Rays to reach the Fall Classic.
I’m not here to debate Kevin Cash’s decision- he’s a terrific manager. What fascinates me is the process that went into the decision. We can all use this situation to become more thoughtful decision makers.
The Sorting Phase
I’m convinced that countless time and energy went into what decision making expert, Annie Duke, calls the “sorting phase.” Cash, his staff, and front office members analyzed a plethora of scenarios, and there was a plan for each of those scenarios. For example, Cash knew Snell had his “A” stuff that night; it was easy to see. However, he was equipped with Snell’s history of facing an order for the third time (which wasn’t good) and that he hadn’t went past the 6th inning since July of 2019. He also knew the data on his bullpen including Anderson who’s career numbers are ridiculous. Despite Anderson’s outstanding numbers, Cash knew that his vertical movement and velocity were down in 2020 which was troubling.
Reflecting upon a Decision
In the 6th,  Cash was faced with the option to stick with Snell or go to his highly effective bullpen. Both options had positives and negatives. Cash made the choice to go to the pen. Did he decide this because because he believed it gave the Rays the best chance? Or, did he make the call because he was following the script and lacked the autonomy to pivot?
Duke, in her book “How to Decide,” reminds us that the outcome is not what makes a good decision; luck plays a major role. I heard Duke on a podcast where she discussed ways to accurately evaluate a decision.
1.    Is it luck or not repeatable? In this case, luck was not involved in the process. The Rays were well-prepared for the moment. Luck would look like Cash deciding to bring in a position player to pitch and him retiring the side (which could happen). That would be luck.
2.    Was new information revealed that can be included in future decisions? One thing I noticed was the lift in spirit from the Dodgers’ dugout that resulted from removing Snell.  The Dodgers, for whatever reason, were really struggling. That struggle led to frustration. When Snell came out, stars Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger, commented on how they were relieved. Could this have shifted the momentum? Was the human element considered enough?
3.    Was there a crucial piece of information that you didn’t go find? Only the Rays know this. It could be something like Anderson was really sore and tired and they failed to take that into account.
4.    It wasn’t bad information you just modeled it wrong. This is simply making a poor choice. The information is in front of you and you go in another direction. It’s a miss. Misses happen.  I don’t think Cash missed in any way.
If we want to improve, reflection is necessary. It’s looking at a situation and thinking, “how can we be better.” Annie Duke’s suggestions allow us to reflect without personal judgement.
If I were Kevin Cash, I would be considering what went into the decision. Was it bad luck? What information do I have now that will help me in the future? Did I miss anything prior to that moment? Did I make a poor choice with the information in front of me? It’s critical to work this process even if the result turned out in the Ray’s favor.
The question I would ask if I were the Rays front office would be: Are we empowering our manager (and others in the organization) to make a gut decision in a moment where there are two solid options? Did we provide Cash enough psychological safety to make a choice that goes against our typical structure when new information presented itself? Are there any holes in our decision making process?
Final Rant:
“There are only two things that determine how your life turns out: luck and the quality of your decisions. You have control over only one of those two things”- Annie Duke.
Game 6 of the World Series gave me several things to consider. First, I realized how often we fall into “resulting.” We judge our decisions based off the result and tend to overemphasize bad luck and dismiss good luck. It’s a poor recipe for long-term success.
Second, I realized that if continual improvement is my life philosophy then I better develop a system for decision making and reflection. Making decisions without a process is guessing; I can’t allow that.
Third, I was reminded that in this time of uncertainty and complexity, how critical it is for us to get to know and trust in the people in our organizations. As leaders, if we are only interacting with people following a result, which we know are fickle, we’re being ineffective. If we only meet with the student and discuss their poor test result, or speak to the employee following a customer complaint we are missing the boat. This type of feedback is stifling . We’ll create robots, not autonomous thinkers.
Finally, we need to lighten up on others, and more importantly ourselves, post decision. If we do the work in the sorting process we’ve done our job. The world is more random than we think. We are obligated to possess the humility to learn from the experience. It’s the only real way to hold ourselves accountable.
Mike
P.S. Right now, I’m obsessed with the idea of decision making. As you can probably guess, I’m terrible at a party- while people want to argue over the game on TV I’m thinking about what went into the play call. So, if you want to discuss decision making processes, shoot me an email. I’d love to connect.
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Ubuntu


Ubuntu, Vulnerability and Pressure as a Privilege

Having four small children means one thing… tons of laundry. Usually, I watch “The Office” while folding clothes, but last week I switched it up. I stumbled upon a Netflix documentary: “The Playbook: A Coach’s Rules for Life.” Episode 1 featured the NBA’s Doc Rivers. The program is brilliant. I’ve watched it three times since. Here are my takeaways:


1.    Vulnerability Can Be a Superpower: I could feel Doc’s authenticity from the beginning- he’s comfortable with himself. Vulnerability is tricky. Having the courage to open up is hard for many leaders. When executed properly, however, it can galvanize a team. Rivers shared three examples:

  • He starts the first meeting with a new team like this, “Hi. I’m Doc Rivers. I’m human, and I’m going to make mistakes.” This statement tells the team, I’m a messy human filled with flaws just like you.
  • While coaching the LA Clippers tapes leaked of owner, Donald Sterling, making disturbing racial comments. Doc prepared a speech for the team, but quickly he could tell his words were not landing effectively. He decided to pivot and speak from this heart. He shared his life story which included overcoming hatred. By speaking as a person, and not the coach, the players felt united with their leader. 
  • During the 2008 season Rivers’ dad passed away. Before leaving for the funeral, he shared stories with the team about his father. He told them he had a simple but beautiful life philosophy: work hard, stay out of trouble, don’t quit, and never be a victim. With Rivers at the funeral, the team played an uncommonly spirited regular season game. After the win, they celebrated like they won a championship. They wanted to win for their grieving coach. Star Kevin Garnett said, “Coach, when you’re sad, I’m sad.” 

2.    Ubuntu: The Boston Celtics were rebuilding at the beginning of his tenure. However, they were aggressive in free agency and assembled three stars: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett; all alpha leaders. While at a charity event, a person who was a big fan approached Doc excited about the team. She said the team is going to need Ubuntu to succeed. She told him to look up the meaning of the word; however, it is more than a word, it’s actually a way of life. Ubuntu became the guiding force of the 2008 Celtics team who ended up winning the NBA championship.

  • Rivers described Ubuntu like this: “I can’t be all I can be unless you are all you can be. I can never be threatened by you because you are good. The better you are the better I am.”
  •  Doc received this wisdom from an “everyday person.” It wasn’t a guru or someone with high positional power. Special things occur when we have the humility and curiosity to learn from anyone, at any time. 
  • I’ve found words like Ubuntu capture the imagination and are more impactful than your typical mission statement values such as: integrity, hard work, commitment, etc. 
  • In order for any group to maximize potential, individuals will have to sacrifice personal accolades. Being a part of something larger than yourself requires losing a bit of your individuality. As coach Bill Belichick said, “Stats are for losers.”

3.    Pressure is a Privilege: Coaching the Boston Celtics comes with high expectations. As Rivers said, they only hang NBA championship banners- winning the division or conference isn’t enough. 

  • Most people go through life without knowing what real pressure feels like. It’s tough and challenging but it is a reward for the hard work and sacrifice. We need to embrace it.
  • While others may run away from a challenge, our goal should be to run toward it. 
  • While pressure is a privilege, that doesn’t mean it is going to be easy. Rivers points out, “People think champs don’t get hit; actually this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Champions get hit over and over. They just keep moving forward.”

“The Playbook” was terrific. I laughed. I cried (Doc reflecting on his father got me). I’m looking forward to watching the other four episodes. It’ll make folding clothes more enjoyable. 
Rivers delivered one take that greatly impacted me. He mentioned the sacrifice it takes to be a great coach and the impact it has on his family. “I missed a lot of stuff because I was working. I missed their stuff and I was there but I was thinking about work.”
I can relate. Can you?

Reflection, Ask, and Research:

I’d like to share one idea to reflect on, one ask, and one thing to research. 

I.              Reflection: How can you make the necessary sacrifices to achieve high performance while honoring the importance of nourishing the critical relationships in your life? 

II.             Ask: Be an encourager. Rivers said General Manager Danny Ainge: “Thought I was a great coach and he never wavered from that.” Be a champion for someone you believe in!

III.           Research: Do a search on the meaning of Ubuntu- I think you’ll like it!

            

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Talent or Culture

Talent or Culture- “Collecting Talent or Building a Team”

It was a busy week in sports: NFL playoff’s beginning, college football bowl game recaps, free agency talk in baseball, and college basketball beginning to ramp up.  However, the lead story on most sport networks was the Pittsburgh Steelers whose season ended.  While most people were watching for the drama, my mind went to the ever present question of talent and culture. 

In case you missed it, the Steelers All-Pro wide-receiver Antonio Brown, missed the final game of the season for what was reported as a knee injury.  Information began to surface that there was more to the story.  Some sort of disagreement occurred on Wednesday at the teams practice between Brown and another player.  People are reporting the conflict was with future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.  Brown’s growing frustration led him to missing practices and meetings for the remainder of the week.  In response, the Steelers suspended Brown for their season ending contest.    

That was the “Cliff’s Notes” version of the story.  I will also say, what is being reported is probably only 25% of the truth.  For this article the details of the drama are not the concern.  The Steelers with Brown, Roethlisberger, and running back Le’Veon Bell had three of the most talented football players in the world.  Most football experts would agree that the remainder of the Steelers roster was strong as well.  The team, however, was loaded with distractions from their top players. Despite a solid record (9-6-1) the team did not fulfill their potential.  Did the organization compromise talent for culture?

Talent and Culture:
Talent is critical.  In order to compete at the highest level, the physical and mental skills must be present.  We can’t trick ourselves into thinking a strong culture and poor talent can win championships.  A talented workforce is necessary for success. 

A strong culture is paramount for long-term achievement.  The organizations that are consistent year in and year out typically have elite cultures. Strong cultures possess clarity in their mission, understand and live their values, and have leaders that fight like crazy to maintain the organizational standards. 

I think we can all agree that having elite-level talent within a strong culture leads to incredible results. 

The Conflict:
What happens when the talent goes against the culture?  What happens when your highest producing employee’s behavior is not aligned with the culture’s values?  At what point is there a diminishing return? 

The team or organization needs special skills to succeed.  The talent is producing results.  What should the leader do? 

The situation above is maybe the most challenging dilemma a leader encounters.  Most leaders, myself included, have been blinded by talent.  Talent is easy to see– the results and production are right in front of your face.  Culture is more abstract; it’s tougher to quantify the damage being done when the talent is not aligned.  With talent, we know what we have and we know how well we’re performing.  What we don’t know is how much better (or worse) we’ll be without the talent even though we know it goes against our culture.  The fear of the unknown is crippling- it takes courage and faith in your culture to eliminate the problem.  

Let’s be honest, an extremely gifted person is going to get more opportunities and breaks than their less skilled colleague.  Talent is incredibly valuable; it comes with its perks.  The art of coaching and leadership is having the pulse of the organization to understand when the distractions are negatively affecting the organization.  Numbers and analytics are important, but the human side will always be present.    

Talent will produce short-term wins and gains.  An elite salesman will put up numbers and a special athlete will produce wins.  If the talent is in conflict with the organizational values, it will eventually lead to long term issues.  Another way to put it: talent is short-term and culture is long-term. 

Culture trumps any individual.  In fact, a strong culture lets organizations take risk on “edgier” talent because they know the group is powerful enough to handle it.  The individual will either get aligned with the culture or they will be removed.  That’s why you’ll see established cultures, like the New England Patriots, take chances on athletes with a negative history. 

The Dilemma:
One of the biggest challenges facing 21st Century leaders is the importance of delivering results immediately.  Coaches are under pressure to win now and business leaders are expected to produce numbers every quarter.  This often leads to short term solutions such as compromising the culture of the organization.  Now more than ever, we need courageous leaders who are willing to absorb short term blows in order to establish long term victories.    

Thoughts for Reflection:
In Michael Lombardi’s book, Gridiron Genius, he shares a Bill Belichick quote, “We are not collecting talent, we are building a team.”

Is your organization intentional about building culture and strong teams?  Have you ever been blinded by a “strong resume” instead of going with your gut and hiring the person who is the right fit for your culture?  Has the talent in your organization ever hurt the ultimate mission?    

This week, join me in fighting for the culture of our organizations.  Join me in being intentional about team building.  Let’s recognize a talented person and appreciate the value they bring.    However, let’s also understand that compromising culture will have long-term negative consequences. 

Final Note:

I have no idea how the Steelers should have handled their situation.  I’ve learned to not speculate on matters where I don’t have the details.  I will use the situation to help me clarify my thoughts and beliefs on the challenging dynamics leaders often face. 


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