Leadership

Great leadership on the bench and on the court can make the difference between playing for championships or playing in the consolation rounds.

The great debate about leadership is whether leaders are born or made. I believe the greatest leaders are born. They have that innate ability and instinct to encourage and bring out the best in people. They have a natural gift to effectively assess a situation, make a decision and positively influence the outcome. They know the right thing to say or do at the right moment.

If you haven’t been genetically appointed as a leader, fear not, leadership skills can be learned. Learning to become a leader takes conscious thought and effort; it’s a process that involves making mistakes. Your experiences and the lessons you learn along the way will make you a more confident and competent leader.

Leadership Style

If you want to get the most out of your players and help them grow, you must use positive leadership skills – get excited, be encouraging, show them you care. The old-school, drill sergeant ways are a thing of the past. There are too many options for kids these days, why would they choose to play a sport where they continually get yelled at? …and it certainly won’t help them reach their true potential.

A common mistake many coaches and companies make is to assign the most vocal person a leadership role. The strongest leaders I’ve ever coached weren’t always the biggest talkers. They were, however, ALWAYS the hardest workers. Hard work on the court is the foundation for the respect earned from your teammates. These players were always encouraging, even in criticism. They had a way to be critical with someone without that person even realizing what was happening. They would find a way to push the necessary button to tell a teammate that we needed more from them without having that person being offended. If it is done correctly it is far more effective than a coach giving the same feedback.

The problem is, in my 21 years of coaching I have only had a handful of players who could lead at that level. I have had many more players who ‘thought’ they were leaders and were very vocal but never really knew how to effectively influence their teammates.

Negative leadership is much worse than having no leadership. I would rather provide all the leadership myself as opposed to having someone just vocal enough to influence the room but not aware enough to make it positive. As a coach, this can be problematic, often these individuals are skilled players and difficult to reason with. If they’re affecting the group negatively, you may have to decide if everyone would be better off without that individual. Part of being a positive leader is making tough decisions to ensure the group has on optimal atmosphere for growth and success.

I believe my perspective on leadership is unique because I don’t think you have to name a captain. In fact, I have NOT named a captain the last four seasons. FIBA rules don’t require you to meet at half before the game so there is no official reason to have a captain. I allow my seniors to accept any championship trophies we may win. This hasn’t hindered our performance or growth in any way; we have had our best seasons “captain-less”. The simple act of being appointed a team captain doesn’t make you a leader. The great leaders don’t need to be named. If I asked my team who the leaders are I am certain they would all name the same two or three players.

When I was in grade 13, (remember grade 13?) I played with a guy who was a starter as a grade 11. We won a city championship and he was a major contributor. He was a small forward who had a good year and was a good three point shooter. We played for a coach who was old school. He was a good coach but not quick with a compliment and very quick with the hook if you weren’t living up to his expectations. I was a ‘glass overflowing’ kind of guy and always tried to keep things positive amongst the guys. I went away to University, then College and eventually started coaching and this same guy ended up as an assistant of mine. I knew that in his grade 12 and 13 seasons they had lost the city championship but I hadn’t come back from school to see them play. I asked about how well he shot the ball over those last two seasons and he told me he rarely shot from distance. I was puzzled. I asked why not when you had shot it so well in grade 11. He laughed and said “because you weren’t there to tell me it was okay to miss.”

I don’t think he realized what an impact that comment had on me. I have coached for 21 years, played for 15 before that and have been in management in business for over 20 years and that is the single best compliment I have ever received. It told me that I was pushing the right buttons with my teammate to make him feel confident at all times. It told me that if I continue the same process as a coach and manager that I could have success. It made me believe I could lead people.