Team Creating: NBA Leadership Lessons to WIN!
As someone who loves sports, I often find valuable lessons in them. Today, I want to draw comparisons between creating a successful team in your organization and what's currently happening in the NBA. If you're new here, I'm thrilled to have you.
Can we agree that winning is so much fun? When watching the end of the game, the winners exude pure joy, pride, and enthusiasm!
The losses, however, can be devastating. I always feel kind of bad for the spokespeople when they are still required to speak to the media immediately after a disappointing defeat. Losses yield great lessons though and often result in the evaluation of needed potential tweaks or even major changes.
How are wins handled in your organization?
Do you mark out time from the busy calendar to celebrate? What is the protocol for who speaks about what led to the win and how to repeat the victory? Is it just the leaders, or does the team also get to contribute to recognizing special moments? Here are a few ideas for you:
Gather in the office for a brief huddle and do some shout-outs and recognition; if you are virtual or hybrid, be sure to include everyone.
Send a special note either through email, or your internal communication platform.
If it’s a BIG win, arrange an appropriate celebration and make sure the date is available for all the players.
What’s the process for acknowledging a loss?
Maybe there is not a scoreboard in your office to differentiate wins or losses, however, the team sure knows when losses occur. Whether it’s a big client loss, a costly mistake, or a missed goal, people know and talk amongst themselves. How do you respond? Here are a few ideas for you:
Gather in the office for a brief huddle to share an overview; if you are virtual or hybrid, be sure to include everyone.
Send an update either through email, or your internal communication platform.
Be sure to include some time to seek and share lessons learned. We learn most from experiencing disappointments.
I am always grateful that the firing of non-winning coaches isn’t as dominant in the business world as it is in the world of sports. As a business owner, you don’t worry about getting fired, However, we have clients who we want to continue to hire us. And we have team members whom we want to inspire to continue to do great work as they contribute to our organization.
Whether we are leaders of companies owned by others or own our business, we sure don’t want to live in fear of getting terminated. We must first look within ourselves and evaluate how we are doing, what we are doing well that we must continue as well as what can be improved and how to adjust.
My goodness! Look at the NBA turnover in just the last couple of weeks:
Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams was terminated after the Suns didn’t advance to the semi-finals (last year he was coach of the year---talk about what have you done for me lately)
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers was fired after the team didn’t advance (after three straight seasons making it to the playoffs but fell short of the semi-finals)
Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenhozer was let go for the same reason, falling short of advancing to the next level.
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse was let go too, for the same reason, failure to advance to the next level.
And the season is not over…
Let's look at some practices on team creating and building...
Remember that the game plan is a guide and we will usually need to make adjustments along the way.
Although winning may not be as critical in your situation as it is in sports, it is still important for you and your team to succeed. Rather than firing employees, it is essential to focus on hiring, developing, and retaining them. This approach will help ensure the success of your team in the long run.
Our goal is to hire people to work in an environment where they can use their talents and expertise, grow to become even more valuable and thrive in the work for which they are hired.
Things to think about:
Hiring
It's truly remarkable that the LA Lakers made it to the semi-finals despite starting the season with a poor record of two wins and 10 losses. This just goes to show that it's not about where you start, but where you finish. Currently, they are in a face off against the Denver Nuggets, which should be an exciting series.
The lesson to be learned from this is that the manager recognized that the team needed to make changes to have a chance at winning. He understood that the current roster was not capable of achieving the goal of winning. Therefore, he made trades and acquisitions, prioritized diversity, and sought input from other key players in the process.
It's important to apply this lesson to your own organization by evaluating whether your team is positioned to succeed by the end of 2023. If not, it's crucial to adjust your plan, identify what's missing, and find the right people to fill those gaps. Time is of the essence since we're already halfway through the year so now is the time!
Development of existing team members
How have you identified your team members' strengths so that you can be certain that you have positioned them for success? Sometimes leaders and individuals focus more on their weaknesses which typically makes them frustrated and have self-doubt.
We know that basketball players are required to be physically fit! What does ‘fit’ equate to in your world?
Are there credentials required that you would commit to helping them achieve for continued development?
What’s the culture of how you engage and collaborate with each other to ensure a positive and inclusive atmosphere?
Is training offered on a consistent basis or is there a training course offered only once/year?
How do you allow for accountability so that teams know what to expect, when to expect it, and count on others to do their part?
Are there informal or formal mentorship programs in place so that the more experienced members support the newbies?
Lastly, do team members understand the expectations based on their role like how NBA players know what skills to focus on based on their position?
Firing
This is the shortest section of this newsletter. Let’s summarize it by saying that no one should be surprised that they’re being let go. The coaches I mentioned earlier were not likely surprised. They knew that the expectation was to win and they knew they weren’t winning.
This then, means feedback is critical. What kind of consistent conversations are you conducting with your people to let them know where they stand?
You might be surprised to find out how many people say they want more feedback on their performance. Most people (54% in a recent Gallup poll) say they want it because it helps them know how they are doing and what needs to improve.
You are probably not surprised to know that people don’t like giving feedback, so they don’t. Reasons vary from not wanting to hurt people's feelings, ill equipped to deliver effective feedback, feeling uncomfortable or it’s not in the company culture. There are no good reasons for not giving feedback.
Here are some quick tips:
Acknowledge that you feel a bit awkward- vulnerability is a good thing
Be specific- let them know exactly what you expect and what needs to improve
Consider their humanness- watch your tonality and leave your ego behind, this is about them
Ask for their thoughts- never ever give feedback or end the conversation without asking for their input
Clarify expected next steps- they need to know what happens next (including if things don’t improve termination is inevitable).
Congratulations in advance for the winning team you are creating. I hope these lessons from NBA were interesting and useful.
