The Hardest Coaching Job In Sports
Most associate difficult coaching assignments with teams that have failed to win for long periods of time, lack finance to compete or don’t have the talent to get the job done.
This may be true and in most cases these jobs would have their difficultly. What about the Head Coach of USA Basketball? Easy job right – Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd etc etc. These are future Hall Of Fame players that play in the greatest basketball competition in the world. Anyone could win with this team…. Or could they?
Following the failures of the 2004 Olympics, USA Basketball changed their structure and appointed Jerry Colangelo to be the Managing Director and sole decision maker. Removed were any political agendas. Perhaps USA basketball had allowed winning to cloud its thinking – the processes to continue winning had fallen away. The most important job for Colangelo was to find the right Coach to work in tandem with the new direction. The man for the job was Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) the long time coach of the college powerhouse Duke University. A college coach taking control of the assembly of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. Obviously this was met with a great deal of scepticism. There have been many college coaches who have failed to make the transition to the professional game (in the NBA & NFL).
How would Coach K bring these superstar egos together in order to restore the pride of USA basketball? This is the toughest job in sports – anything other than a commanding victory in every game is deemed a failure by much of the world. How many college coaches would be brave enough to take this job on where there is seemingly more to lose than gain! To achieve true greatness you must step outside your comfort zone and take on challenges that seem out of your reach!
The only issue many would perceive when taking on this role would be dealing with the egos of these superstars. Whether we like it or not, an inflated ego is necessary to be an elite performer. Coach K didn’t see this as a bad thing. “The focus was on team ego not individual ego. 2 is better than 1, if 2 act as one”! Being part of a team allows you to be a better version of yourself. “The talent and expertise of the person next to you is not a threat, but an opportunity”. Too often players are worried about their stats or game time – this is individual ego. Playing a different position, less time, a different role – this is team ego!
What he did to bring these players together was put the purpose of their task into perspective – help the players to understand that representing Team USA was bigger than any individual. Bringing in presenters to speak of the importance of representing the letters on the front of the jersey and not the ones on the back was a key part of the process. Military survivors sharing stories that inspired players to buy into the TEAM concept. Sacrifice is an overused term in the world of sport. To go to war and risk your life, that is sacrifice. To be a professional and play as a team, that is a choice! The ultimate goal was GOLD at the 2008 Olympics. More than this it was to restore pride in USA Basketball and create a TEAM focus that had never been done before. Team USA had always been a collection of superstars. The choices of the players were shown in their actions, because they bought into the TEAM.
A key feature of the schedule for Team USA was a team meeting prior to every practice session. With little time to understand and connect as a team – Clarity was crucial. There was no time for interpretation or misinterpretation. The meeting set the tone for the session to come, less talk more action once the team hits the court. This approach is becoming increasingly popular across teams in all codes.
To generate this TEAMWORK standards were set, rather than rules made. Standards are lived, there is a deeper level of appreciation and action. “Standards are the things we already do – they comprise who we are”. Demonstrating action for the good of the team is a Team Builder. This brings the group together for a common cause, chasing the ultimate goal. When players set the standard huge things can be achieved:
Jason Kidd the backup point guard says “being on time is going to be huge”.
Dwayne Wade adds “we win together and we lose together”.
Michael Redd spoke of the need for hunger, every opponent is a challenge – “we need to play every possession”.
Lebron James says “we are a no excuse team”.
Kobe Bryant asks the coach to let him matchup on the opposition best player in every game. Wow. One of the greatest scorers in NBA history wants to lead this team through his defence. His points would be down but the chances of winning would be greater. Choice not sacrifice.
Talent is vital for winning elite sport. A team over talent attitude, when you have infinite talent = success and a fantastic experience. Coach K created an environment where players wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves. The freedom to speak and engage in the standards of the team was a vital component of the atmosphere. Aside from the winning, the players speak of the lifelong memoires and friends they have made.
Coach K won the respect of every player and is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in American Sports History.
The Gold Standard is a great read, but if you want to trim some time you will get some key points in this video.