Basketball 101

I love basketball. I am a fan from the couch; and in my younger days I thoroughly enjoyed running up and down the court looking for the assist or setting up for my jump shot. I got more of a charge out of making a good pass than I did out of scoring points. Playing defense was like playing a chess match. My goal was to outguess the offensive player in order to intercept a pass, block a shot or steal the ball. I sure experienced my share of fouls, turnovers, and missed layups, but all-in-all the game of basketball is such a great team sport demanding total collaboration.

I grew up in West Virginia and I remember playing organized basketball on my school’s team. We had a group of talented players, but we never won the championship because we never really functioned as a team. We had two major stars (Randy and Curtis) – they were the best ball handlers, the best shooters, and the fastest players in the school. They also had the biggest egos, the greatest need to score the most points, and the deepest desire to be in the spotlight. Both of them were black holes – you could pass them the ball but once the ball went to them, it never came back out – they could be counted on to shoot the ball from any angle and any spot on the court. They were also the first to complain when another player missed a shot or made a mistake. Victory was always their crowning moment while defeat was always someone else’s mistake.

Our school did not lack for talent but they experienced a dearth of team players. Randy and Curtis held all the individual statistics and rode the crest of basketball stardom. But there were one or two other schools, with less talent but more cooperation, that beat us every year.

Effective organizations are very much the same way. Most often the competitive advantage that some companies have over others is not the level of talent, or the star CEO. It is rather the buy-in of the people and the shared vision they have toward a common goal. Teamwork within an organization is one of the keys to success. The star can often cause discontent and jealousy. A massive ego usually results in a decrease in the motivation of others. Hogging the praise and failing to share the ball with teammates, tends to turn unity into a group of silos – each employee looking out for number one.

One of the things I love about basketball is the need for all five players to perform as a unit. A rebound leads to a kick out pass which results in a fast break that ends in a great pass for a slam dunk. I so enjoy a half court offense that whips the ball around the perimeter, then inside, then back out for the open three-point shot. I have seen organizations function this way as well. Discussions bounce back and forth with a variety of opinions and perspective being shared then agreement is solidified which leads to great solidarity in the decision. I have seen team members yielding their personal agendas for the benefit of the company. I have watched effective leaders as they parcel out the praise to many for the roles played in the overall success of a project. Team is powerful when it works.