Let’s talk: leadership, and basketball.
I know, plot twist. No one has ever connected the two (ha). Really, I want to think about The Reset. I talked about this on instagram today, and I want to think really quickly about it with you.
Basketball, this fast-paced, quick, high-score game. Teams take an average of between 88-93 shots a game, with about 47% going in (team with the most shots last season?? Miami! 93.5!).
And think about practice: each player shoots about 300-400 per day.
Let’s talk Miami: Bam Adebayo is on fire. He has revamped his offensive game, is shooting more 3-pointers than ever, and just scored the second-most points in NBA history, 83. Commentators call him, “unselfish“ and an organic basketball player.
How did he get there? When he entered the NBA in 2017, attempting as many shots as he does was not part of the intrigue – it was his defensive abilities, his demeanor on the court. But then his offensive skill started to show, “it was impossible to overlook.” He had learned to “think like a star.”
“Shoot the ball.”
“Shoot the ball, worry about everything else later.”
This didn’t happen in 2017. This is about progression, confidence, and strategy. 45% of his shots are unassisted. On top of that his passing skill is growing, and he is becoming a force that every coach across the league has to contend with.
Ok is this a basketball blog right now. No. Maybe. But let’s connect this to the reset. When you take shots, make attempts, try things, and then… often… fail or you don’t reach what you thought you were, it can be easy to crumple. It’s actually ok to fall apart sometimes, I’m not advocating perfection. But then get up and you gotta try again.
Basektball is a very fast pace of play. You take a shot, and then you trun around after missing it, and you take another one. In front of everyone.
The power of resetting yourself and building the capacity to keep going, keep trying, keep shooting, is about building capacity
So, how do you do it? I want to take two ideas: one from Hortense le Gentil, whose book, Aligned, I reviewed this week. And one from David Novak, the great CEO, leader and podcaster.
le Gentil on The Reset:
Deal with setbacks “productively”: Accept responsibility: this reduces the anxiety of your team members and signals to others that leaders can fail, and can try again, and they can too. The energy you will feel and gain by stretching and persevering in spite of failure will give you the strength to try again.
Novak on The Reset:
Happy in challenge is better than miserable in success. This is from How Leaders Learn. Novak points the way: have fun, enjoy the challenge. Basketball is FUN. challenge is scary, but it can be FUN. Share the burden, enjoy the process, feel the honor of the pressure.
Next time you feel knocked down, go watch five minutes of a game. Maybe go watch Bam and Miami. Count the number of shots they take and compare that to the misses. They just keep going. And when they can’t their coach gets them off the court to reset for the next round of play. So… reset. (and, get a coach!).
William Guillory writes about his powerful progression as a player. Adebayo has evolved his game through “subtle improvements” crossing into elite status over time. He is a leader on the team, Guillory writes, and takes his responsibility “without fear.”
I was anxious about something the other week and texted a friend. I wanted things to happen, come together, more quickly than they were. He texted back one word: patience. Have patience.
Adebayo isn’t just getting stronger, he’s gettin shrewder. He has patience and doesn’t just take more shots, he takes better shots. And when whether he misses or scores, he resets. “Shoot the ball, think about everything else later.”