Thank you, Basketball!

I didn’t want to play Basketball. After all, I was a band nerd. The clarinet to be specific. But I was 5’10” as a high school senior which was a good five to six inches over everyone else on the team. “We need you”, the coach said.

I didn’t understand this. I did not have an athletic bone in my body. Oh sure, us kids in the neighborhood always played around the hoop attached to Miller’s garage. And, I was always the first out by accumulating the letters H-O-R-S-E. What did that word have to do with basketball anyways? And now, how was I going to contribute to the girls varsity basketball team?

“We’ll teach you”, coach said.

Rules. Getting down the rules of the game wasn’t too terribly difficult. Afterall, it’s not the game of football - which after 50 years later has still not absorbed into my sense-making mechanisms. Five players, dribble to advance, two points, three points, free throws, fouls … I think I got that. Knowledge - check.

Skills. Dribbling - well, improving. Speed - no so much. Passing - passable. Baskets - make certain someone else has the ball. Rebounds - yes!, yes! yes! Just reach up and grab that ball. We found my sweet spot!

Ability and Wisdom. This is what wins games. How do you stay within the rules, leverage individual strengths (skills that make you feel strong) and integrate them into the team? DId I have the wisdom to know who was the best person to pass it to? No. But my team mates did! Even though it was only a couple of seconds, there was plenty of time for me to spot the team mate who was signaling me to pass the ball.

So why am I grateful to basketball? Because it reminds me daily about the leadership competencies that organizations hold up as their cultural behaviors and development path stepping stones. Do we fully define the competency contextually so that colleagues have clarity on the rules of engagement? Do we provide the skill building, feedback and coaching to keep strengths strong and enhance a few other skills? Do we value the wisdom of the teams, where individuals come together as a high-performing ensemble, to perform even stronger than a collection of individuals with mad skills?

Competencies are about knowledge, skills and ability. Few of us work and succeed alone. Valuing and integrating the combined skills of individual team members creates a new level of ability - one that brings home both competence and confidence. It is a wise leader to recognize, nurture and sustain team performance.

Submitted humbly,

Rockey, WKHS Girls Varsity Basketball. Rockey’s season total points: 0. Rockey’s season total rebounds: 146. Team wins.

Thank you, basketball.