Lessons Learned

"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso

Sports teaches a lifetime of lessons. Basketball coach Chris Kreider wrote this article about what coaching taught him. 

What's a short list of important lessons I've learned? 

1. Share. Great coaches are great sharers. Phil Jackson distilled it to "basketball is sharing." A team 'works' with shared vision, shared sacrifice, and shared rewards. 

2. Add value. The best players make those around them better. That may require fewer statistical inputs from them. 

3. "Look for the helpers." Mr. Rogers said that. The harder you work, the more people go out of their way to help you. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." 

4. Sacrifice. Put the team first. Put your teammates first. Thinking less about yourself doesn't mean thinking less of yourself. 

5. Choose to be a great teammate. Drag a teammate to a higher level by practicing with them. Or be the teammate willing to be dragged higher. Be happy for everyone else's success, not just yours. 

6. Live gratitude. Take the Gratitude Challenge of nightly writing down three things we're grateful for over 21 days. Be thankful for great family, teammates, and coaching. 

7. Prioritize. Family. School. Everything else. I've heard multiple coaches say that they would never recruit a player who disrespected their parents. "There is no ability without eligibility." 

8. Simplify. "Fall in love with easy." Find ways to reduce complexity. 

9. Be positive. Shout praise and whisper criticism. Use the 'sandwich technique' to put correction between praise. How does it feel to play for me? How does it feel to be my teammate? 

10.Get feedback and "readback." Little feels worse than hearing, "I thought you said..." It's easy to ask, "what did I just say and what are we going to do? 

Lagniappe. "Don't tell me you can't. Show me you do."