Our annual basketball March Madness comes to an end with IT specialist Chris A. claiming first prize.
Chris was able to select all of the Final Eight in the contest and prevailed by selecting the ultimate winner Duke. I think it is worth noting that three of the top eight finishers all reside in the corporate IT department. Makes you wonder if they were running some special computer algorithm to come up with the right projections.
As always, coaches caught my eye in this tournament. All of the Final Four coaches will end up in the Hall of Fame if they aren’t there already. Here are some characteristics I noted by observing the successful coaches in the tournament.
They care. Each one brought a great deal of enthusiasm to the job. You could say, “of course, they do. They coach.” But, I would remind you some leaders try to do their job from the chair and without getting to know the members of their team. Caring is the first step toward engaging the team. Your teammates know whether you care or not. When the leader doesn’t care, the team doesn’t function.
They encourage. They say encouraging words. They have encouraging body language. They help create positive, self images for each of their players. It makes a difference when the game is on the line.
They build. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the great coaches get back to the championship round. They understand the essence of success is building all the time. They know the team has to be at its best when the lights are brightest. They focus on getting better every single day during the season. Their teams have a way of “peaking” at the right time. The championship teams muster their best games of the season at the end.
Another season is in the books. I try to use those opportunities to observe great coaching and put them to use. How about you?
