Episode XIV: How to Kill a Hydra, Space to Grow & Designing a Leadership Environment
"Leadership is the creation of an environment in which others are able to self-actualize in the process of completing the job"
Every week, I share a couple of things that I’m reading, learning or actively doing in my personal and professional life. This week, we dive into:
This Week’s Book: How to Kill a Hydra
Practice Idea: Space to Grow
X’s & O’s: 3/0 Line Shooting
Leadership Thought: Impact of the Environment
Recommended Article: Leadership Environment
Reflective Question: Environment
This Week’s Book: How to Kill a Hydra
This is a short, but quite powerful fictional book about an adventurer who sets off to tackle the seemingly impossible task of killing a Hydra. Through this journey the adventurer discovers the power of preparation, discipline, perseverance, overcoming doubt and so much more. Despite its fictional nature, almost any reader will find its lessons valuable and transferable.
Do you have a college assignment, a work project, an upcoming exam, preparing for marriage? It doesn't matter what is going on in your life, you will find the story in this book relatable and the lessons will help provide a blueprint to navigate them.
Practice Idea: Space to Grow
Tyler Coston tells the story of observing a USA Men’s Basketball Practice a few years ago with Greg Popovich at the helm of the team.
In observing a scrimmage, he noticed immediately how poor the gameplay was with players making several mistakes and errors throughout. The coaching side of Tyler Coston wanted to stop the practice and address the issues. Yet, he was surprised to find that Coach Popovich continued to let the scrimmage go on without saying anything. In fact, Coach Popovich let it go on for another twenty minutes before intervening with a singular objective.
"From now on, we only take Wideass Open shots"
A quick thirty-second intervention followed by a second portion of scrimmage play improved several components of the game and allowed things to be better instantly.
Tyler Coston also observed that Coach Popovich was more active and vocal in the second part of the scrimmage, yet only restricted his feedback to the intervention. Reminding, encouraging and praising guys for taking “wideass open shots”.
In reflecting back to the experience, Coach Coston said that the lesson he took from this is, "everyone can spot the mistakes that happen. That's not what makes you a coach. The best coaches are able to identify the one thing that needs to change to have the biggest impact"
This is what Coach Popovich did.
During the first twenty minutes, coach Pop was just observing and taking in all the info he needed to identify the one thing to address. Once he was able to identify it, he delivered the feedback in a thirty-second intervention and then proceeded to coach on the fly throughout the remainder of the practice.
This week's practice idea is to give your players space to grow. Take the step back and observe the practice. Try and identify the one thing that will make the biggest impact on how your team is practicing or how you want them to play. Offer the intervention, and then emphasise that for the rest of the practice and the drills, regardless of what you do.
Instead of aiming at everything, be intentional with a singular target to get your team better.
Check out the podcast with Tyler Coston below on the Coaches Club Podcast.
X’s and O’s: 3/0 Line String Shooting
In observing our last game, we struggled to react correctly on baseline drives. This is a key part of how we play and what we want to do. Therefore, we introduced the 3/0 Line String Shooting drill. We’ve adapted this from Coach Brian McCormick.
The drill is set up with one line at the slot with basketballs and two lines on the wings with no basketballs. Player 1 dribbles across and passes to #4, who immediately drives baseline. #3 and #1 react with our dribble penetration principles. #4 makes the pass out to #3 for a catch and shoot opportunity.
Leadership Thought: Impact of the Environment
As a leader, you are responsible for the environment that you create.
Do the people involved in your organisation understand the minimum acceptable standards and behaviours? Do they feel valued and appreciated? Do they feel supported?
Recommended Article: Leadership Environment
A transformational environment of leadership development will place significant emphasis on legitimacy of actions.
An interesting article that discusses the differences between transactional, situational and transformational leadership styles.
The environment that the leader creates is indicative of how well the organisation will continue to perform.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/money-matters/228989-Leadership-environment
Reflective Question: Design Environment
How are you intentionally cultivating the environment to promote the behaviours you desire in your organisation?
That’s all for this week. If you found this interesting, I would appreciate you sharing it on your social media accounts.
Until next week.
Nabil Murad