The Fundamentals Make You Great
Today is the saddest day of the year. March Madness is over. My wife and I gobbled up many of the girls’ and boys’ basketball games. Last night the finals were on. (Don’t tell me who won. I recorded it because bedtime is 9:00 p.m., 10 at the latest. The game didn’t start till 9.)
We’ll start watching it during breakfast today. It’s better than the news.
The fundamentals:
Athletes who excel practice the fundamentals – the things you do so you can be great at something else.
The “box out” commercial for Buffalo Wild Wings capitalizes on the fundamentals.
In the commercial, a buffalo with wings stands at the bar complaining about young players. “Oh! Come on! You gotta box out. That’s the problem with kids these days, no fundamentals.”
Getting rebounds in basketball is about getting in front of your opponent. Success is more about position than jumping (usually). The fundamentals hold for bowling too.
I subscribe to my friend Bob Burg’s Daily Impact email (click to subscribe). The other day he shared a delightful story from his youth. I share it with his permission.
I (Bob) was about 12 years old, watching 16-year-old Greg nail strike after strike at the local ten-pin bowling alley.
“Wow!” said very-impressed young Bob. “You must really practice getting those strikes!”
“Not at all,” said the Zen-like teen. “I don’t concern myself with the strikes. I practice nailing those spares. When I do that, the strikes come by themselves.”
12-year-old mind…blown…! 🙂
Makes total sense though, doesn’t it?
Fundamentals are so key to success.
Key Point: Master the spares…and the strikes will come by themselves.
What are some of the fundamentals – the skill behind the skill – of leadership? For example, pausing before speaking or succuss is about solutions, not problems.
Still curious:
Four Essentials For Developing Your Leadership
Five Heart Habits of Uncommon Leaders
Behind the fundamentals is the process you you follow and the habits you practice to stay on track.
The interaction of two or more processes is a system. Achieving success requires you to perfect the fundamentals but you also need to get the system right when you’re playing team sports.
Thanks, Paul. Love the term “habits”. What are the habits we can do every day that propel us to the top of our game?
Like you, I watched many of the women’s and men’s NCAA basketball games. I always find the talent, skill, and passion fascinating. I also enjoy watching the coaches to observe and learn from their on-court leadership styles. Their fundamentals vary greatly. We can learn a lot about what works through this analysis. I’m sad it’s over too.
A leadership fundamental for me is using language that is accepting and respectful. I try to foster hope by shifting the focus from “what’s wrong with us” to “what’s right with us”, and understanding that even though there may be snags or hiccups – sometimes very serious ones – there are also untapped resources and capacities inherent in each of us that can be used to improve outcomes.
Thanks, Jo. I find a negative – problem centric – thinking comes natural to me. Learning to think otherwise is an essential component to living successfully.
Humility. Showing up ready to notice other people.
Thanks, Jackie. A clear simple sentence is a thing of beauty.
Thank you for giving me an excuse to write in from Connecticut Husky land!
Like good coaches, managers do well by playing their team members to their strengths, rather than trying to turn them into something they’re not–and maybe don’t even want to be. Having depth on the bench counts in business too.