Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Lessons from Over Twenty Years of MVB

Four questions from Michael Useem shade our thinking:

  • What went well? 
  • What went poorly?
  • What could we do differently next time? 
  • What are the enduring lessons (from an 'evolution')? 
Focus on the fourth.

1. MVB always differed from Melrose basketball, even when basketball won big. MVB revolved around team and MBB tended to revolve around hierarchy. Don't ask why. I don't know. Both worked at the time.

2. Most players liked volleyball better. Maybe it's culture, maybe it's contact, maybe it's coaching. Maybe it's a combination. 

3. MVB has a welcoming and inclusive culture. Hall of Famer Sarah McGowan referred to that in her induction speech. "The varsity players were not only dedicated to teaching volleyball, but also embodied the MVB culture, creating a warm and inclusive environment. They were there not out of obligation, but out of genuine passion."

4. There's a better way to do things. For example, the 'group book reading' shared broad life lessons, such as from Jay Bilas's book Toughness or Coach Krzyzewski's Beyond Basketball. 

5. Be coachable. Know what the coaches want. Want to learn. Want to improve. Leverage learning and improvement into role. 

6a. Work to understand what is random and what is not. Nassim Taleb wrote Fooled by Randomness years ago. Taleb is arrogantly brilliant and brilliantly arrogant. The smartest people often are. Playing time and roles are not random. In extremely refined systems like aircraft engine turbines, the difference between one turbine and another is tiny. In most volleyball teams the difference between the top and 'stay ready' players is larger. That accounts for differing results.

6b. The biggest problems arise when the smallest differences exist between starting and reserve players. Those playing less rightfully think, "I'm not so different than she is." 

7. Trust the process. Sample size is not an issue with over twenty years of track record. An athletic director elsewhere said that a parent complained that the coach knew nothing about a sport (not volleyball). The AD explained that the team was 19-1, suggesting maybe the coach knew more than the parent thought. 

8. "Fight for your culture everyday." Find a mentor. Be a mentor. Encourage teammates. Never "bigfoot" an underclassman. 

9. Do. Not. Quit. Being an underdog or trailing doesn't prevent success and comebacks. The biggest comebacks create the biggest memories. 



Out of system and back row attack lead to another attack with pass, set, hit, and win. 

10. The success equation applies, ACHIEVEMENT=PERFORMANCE x TIME

It might not be "10,000 Hours" but do the work over time, focus and listen, and it yields the best window for success. 

Lagniappe. Leaders have well-defined intent and clear messaging. 

Lagniappe 2. Make the work consistent. That's what greatness does. 

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