How many of you are old enough to remember the NBA Dream Team from 1992? What an amazing amount of talent, personalities, and skills that were represented in one team. How could you not be patriotic that summer as the USA sought to dominate in the Olympics?
I was listening to this podcast from Entre Leadership a few weeks ago and it blew me away with some of the stuff that was being discussed. They had on the podcast Brendan Suhr, head scout for the Dream Team, and personal assistant to Chuck Daly. He was discussing the makeup of the team, the challenges of coaching and leading all these talented guys, and how coach Daly addressed the team.
He said in their first meeting with all the players Coach Daly broke it down to three requirements for the team. They were:
1. Must win a Gold Medal
2. Can’t worry about minutes played, shots attempted, etc.
3. You have to be on time
These are insanely elementary and simplistic expectations for an olympic team, but Brendan explained that Chuck really hit on the timely requirement. He said that if you aren’t on time that you are disrespecting the other players. He said that the closest that anyone ever came to being late was 10 minutes early, and that Michael Jordan set the tone by consistently being around 30 minutes early for the bus.
What an amazing insight from a leader. He made it simple, he cast a vision, placed expectations, and fostered respect. We all have these opportunities to lead in our homes, businesses, churches, and personal lives. You don’t have to have some extensive background or degree in leadership. Obviously it is a gift and a skill, and some people are better at it than others, but we all can cast a simple vision, make clear expectations, and encourage respect.
I encourage you to listen to the podcast. Here is the link to it: https://www.entreleadership.com/podcasts/nbas-brendan-suhr-coaching-to-win
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