Leader as Coach

I believe that the best leaders have the same qualities as great coaches. They inspire and bring out the best in others.

I witnessed a perfect example of this play out right in front of my TV screen last Friday night. During an NBA playoffs game between the Suns and Spurs.

It was a critical game for the Suns. The Spurs had tormented the Suns by eliminating them 4 of the last 6 seasons. Something bad always happens to the Suns when they play the Spurs. A key player gets injured. Tim Duncan makes a miracle 3 pointer. Steve Nash trips on a piece of gum. You name it.

With Steve Nash out of the game, the backup point guard is struggling mightily with a shaken confidence. He shot horribly at 2 for 9, and kept looking over his shoulders to see when the coach will bench him.

It was a tight game. Perhaps the coach should bench the backup player. It's a decision that no one would question given the backup player's poor performance. It's a safe and easy decision.

So what did the coach do?

He called a timeout. He pulled the backup player aside. He told him, "don't worry about making mistakes. Just be aggressive and do your thing. Don't worry about a thing."

Instead of benching the player and punishing him, the coach assured the player of his support. The coach showed the player that he believed in him. The coach inspired player. The coach ignited confidence in the player.

The player then went on to ignite his own "fuego" and proceeded to shoot the lights out. It was an unbelievable and awe-inspiring display. He made 4-point plays. He drove through the entire Spurs offense and shot over Tim Duncan. He had the entire Spurs team scrambling.

He finished with 23 (!) points in the decisive 4th quarter and basically won the game single-handedly for the Suns.

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Upon witnessing this unfold, I couldn't help but think about my company's culture. Why isn't our culture like the Suns? Why doesn't our culture bring out the best in everyone?

Instead, it is the complete opposite. One could be making shots and contributing but suddenly find himself sitting at the far end of the bench with no explanation. Or worse, yet, get kicked out of the team for no apparent reason.

Contributions are taken for granted or ignored all together.

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Great leaders inspire and bring out the best in people.

Average corporate executives make the obvious & safe decisions that protects their own interests.

Which one would you rather be?