’tis the season!
Business and Basketball
by Jan Bolick
August 1, 2003
Phil Ford grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. In 1978, he graduated from The University of North Carolina, where he was on the basketball team.
After graduation, Phil Ford became Coach Ford, working alongside Carolina Coaches Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge for twelve years.
He is now an Associate Vice-President in The Rams Club at UNC. (2008 Update. After this article was written, Phil went to New York, working as Assistant Coach for the Knicks under head coach Larry Brown. Phil is now back in North Carolina working as Assistant Coach for the Carolina Bobcats.)
Coach Ford was a recent guest on Business Class, a weekly radio show which I host on WCHL 1360 AM.
Understandably – we talked a lot about basketball - looking along the way for connections to business.
There were many.
Below are seven snippet summaries from the show.
Whether you read them all in one sitting – or one a day for the next week – each can stand alone as a good read on basketball and business.
*****
Phil Ford feels fortunate to have met and been recruited by Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge and Coach Fogler. He said, “Choosing to come to Carolina was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life” and that Smith, Guthridge and Fogler are still “three of my best friends on the planet”, even after all these years.
With so many schools eager to sign Phil Ford, how did he decide on Carolina?
When Coach Dean Smith came to visit the Ford’s home, he made a huge impression on the entire family. Other coaches recruiting Ford, promised he would start as a freshman. Smith told him he might have to play JV at first.
Phil’s Mom was impressed by this, because no one really knew how Phil would do as a college player, so promising anything was risky. She told her son that he just needed to work hard and that if he did, he might play a little bit during his first few years and maybe start his senior year.
Phil did work hard.
He started as point guard his freshman year and every year thereafter.
He won first-team All-America honors three times.
Along with his teammates, Phil brought home a Gold Medal from the 1976 Olympics.
He was the 1978 NCAA National Player of the Year.
When he was introduced before the final game of his senior year, the crowd roared. Walter Davis had bet Phil that he (Phil) would cry when introduced. Phil bet he wouldn’t. He did. And so did we.
He had clearly been a star recruit and though all indicators pointed to him being a star in college, Coach Smith had refused to promise him anything.
Phil said that when he joined Smith’s coaching staff, and was out competing for top recruits, he would try from time to time to get Smith to make some sort of promise. And Smith would say – ‘I didn’t promise Walter (Davis). I didn’t promise Mitch (Kupchak). I didn’t promise Michael (Jordan).’
He just wouldn’t do it.
In basketball and in business, going after players with the skills and talents needed by your team is critical to the team’s success.
“Selling” them on the value of your “program” is important as well.
Yet – there is a very fine line between selling an exciting and challenging vision and promising a “pie in the sky dream” that may serve disappointing later.
Finding that line shows integrity and builds reputation – both important to the recruiting success of Coach Dean Smith – both important in basketball and in business.
*****
Phil said that one of the qualities that made Coach Dean Smith such a good leader was the genuine interest he showed in the players.
He said Coach Smith always knew how the players were doing in their classes, knew the names of all their family members and even now, their wives and children.
Phil called him “a great leader”, “who really wants what is best for all the players”, and constantly showed he was in it for them.
Phil pointed out that Smith was seldom seen participating in a celebration. As an example, when Phil and his teammates won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics and were on the podium receiving their medals, Coaches Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge and John Thompson were off to the side, each down on one knee.
To them - it was all about the players.
Phil said that even today, “we don’t make a lot of decisions in our lives, even as old men, without running it by Coach Smith to get his opinion.”
Old man?! C’mon, Phil!
Genuine interest – that’s GENUINE interest. in individual team members, their goals and their victories is a powerful leadership quality – in basketball and in business.
*****
Speaking of the Olympics, I asked Phil if Dean Smith’s coaching style at the Olympics was different from his style at Carolina.
There was a quick “yes” to that question.
Phil explained that at the Olympics, Smith talked about winning. Everyone was there for one goal – to win the gold.
At Carolina, Smith didn’t talk about winning. He talked about improving.
And practice is what they did to improve. Not just during the season but all year long. IN fact, Phil said that summer is especially important – not a time to sit back and watch television – but a time to really work on the things you don’t do very well.
At the same time, working on a wise balance between accepting things the way they are and driving for change, well-said in the Serenity Prayer, often repeated by Smith, his coaches and players.
“Please grant me:
The serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can change
And the wisdom to know the difference”
Determining the goal or desired outcome.
Making it clear to the team.
Practicing for improvement.
With courage, serenity and wisdom.
All powerful tips for basketball and for business.
*****
Speaking of practice, Phil said that he would not have accomplished as much in his basketball career, had he been playing for a coach other than Dean Smith.
Coach Smith taught so much during practice – hard practice.
Phil said, “We used to laugh at each other and say ‘Wow -- we only have a game tomorrow!’ The game has got to be easier than practice.”
Reportedly, these 1 ½ hour practices were more intense than the three to four hour practices in the NBA. They were highly structured, timed out and therefore very intense.
Players also had to pay close attention because they never knew when Coach Smith would ask a question.
Questions like:
· What did I just say?
· Where is Walter supposed to be?
· What did I just say to Phil?
And you had better know the answer!
When I asked what would happen if someone wasn’t listening and couldn’t answer the question, Phil said that he didn’t know, because no one was ever not listening.
During these practices, Smith would put together complete scenarios like –
Okay – we have the ball. 5 minutes left on the clock. We’re down by 2. They would post it all on the score board, including timeouts and everyone’s foul situation.
Then they would play it out while the entire thing was being videotaped.
Then – they would watch, critique and learn from the videotapes.
Phil said they practiced every possible situation – so much that Phil said, “I can’t think of one thing that happened in a basketball game that we hadn’t gone over in practice. We had gone over everything in practice.’
He said that because of this, the players could pull off amazing things under extremely high pressure.
If you are a Carolina basketball fan, you have watched this happen in some real squeakers with the squeakiest of all being the Duke Carolina game in 1974.
Carolina was 8 points behind with 17 seconds to go. Most everyone thought it was over. Phil was a high school senior at the time. He thought it was over and went outside to wash his dad’s car. He missed the final shot that Walter Davis made to send the game into overtime, but got back into the house in time to see Carolina win.
I asked Phil if he could tell us what Coach Smith said to the players during the final seconds of this and other down-to-the-wire games.
He said Coach Smith actually told the players what was going to happen. How and what they were going to do. Actually played out the scenario. It was all stuff they had done in practice over and over. Smith just reminded them of the scenario, how they had handled it in practice and how they could do it again.
In basketball, critical skills for individual success include dribbling, passing, shooting, etc. The individuals must then blend their skills with those of their teammates so they can work as a unit on the court.
What individual skills are needed to be successful in your business? Writing? Getting appointments with decision makers? Making presentations?
At what points do you work with others “on the court”?
Practice fundamental skills on your own.
Practice as a team.
Rehearse.
Role play.
Videotape rehearsals.
Watch and critique the videos.
All powerful tools for improving performance – in basketball and in business.
*****
Phil and I were in the same class. At the time, students waited in long lines to get seats in the bleachers of Carmichael Auditorium. We watched every game in amazement, especially when the team went into 4 corners.
I asked Phil if we could make a connection between 4 corners and business.
Phil said that for 4 corners to work, you need 5 good ball handlers, 5 good free throw shooters and 5 good defenders on the court - all 5 players working together.
And to make it happen they had to practice over and over because as Coach Smith always said, “We are creatures of habit” and if it wasn’t a habit, it would not happen on the court.
What a great example of: taking a group of individuals; making the best of their talents; giving them the tools and practice to work in sync as a team; creating habits needed to push through pressure situations.
Valuable strategies for basketball and for business.
*****
What about when a team is having a tough year?
Coach Ford praised the job done by Bill Guthridge in 2000.
The regular season record was 18 wins and 13 losses, not a normal record for Tar Heel players and fans. Ford described the team as a “wounded duck”.
Guthridge kept team together and believing in themselves - always staying positive and finding the good.
In the media, he took all the heat for the team’s performance saying things like, “I’m not pushing the right buttons. We have a good team and good players.”
Carolina went to the NCAA tournament and made it to the Final 4.
Ford said, “To this day I have no idea how we made the final 4. It was brilliant what coach Guthridge did that season.”
What Phil described was a coach that kept the players loose. Kept them pumped up. Not letting them get down on themselves. Yet staying tough, not letting them slide.
Positive, yet stern.
A powerful one-two punch for pushing and pulling a team to its potential – in basketball and in business.
*****
What about when it has gone beyond discouragement and the coach feels he or she has lost the team?
He first talked about the players’ responsibility to correct or improve the situation. As Phil said, he was always taught that if you aren’t getting the desired results, you work harder at studying or playing basketball or whatever. By all means – don’t throw in the towel.
A great reminder. Often we point the finger at our leader. Forgetting that that leaves 4 pointing back at your truly.
But what if players are still ready to throw in the towel?
Phil said when these things happen, they build over time and so it is better to catch them sooner rather than later. But talking it out. Trying to uncover the problems. And then a delightful idea from Coach Ford – maybe playing football or something else in practice to ease the tension, because as Phil said, “Laughter is very soothing, healing and relaxing.”
Reducing the tension. Releasing the stress. Leaving room for solutions to appear. In basketball and in business.
*****
A summary of basketball and business tips that bubble up from Phil’s stories:
- Determine the vision goal or desired outcome
- Communicate it clearly and frequently
- Design a plan, plays or processes
- Recruit great players (using integrity)
- Understand and genuinely care about them and their goals
- Design intense training and practice sessions so that individuals build strong skills that will serve them well, especially during pressure packed situations.
- Role play all the plays and a variety of “what ifs” so that team members are prepared for every situation
- Lead positively, yet firmly so that those in your lead can realize their potential
- Deal quickly and directly with discontented players
- Remember the power of laughter and fun
Copyright 2003 – Jan Bolick, Business Class Inc
Note: Author gives permission to distribute copies of this article as long as it is distributed in full, including the information box below.
Jan Bolick is a management coach (CUCG, PCC) who loves helping business owners and managers improve performance and get better results. And then they love their work more - so important given the amount of time spent doing it.
Improving performance involves maximizing resources like time and energy - and it involves managing obstacles. Fear is a frequent one of these.
If you are going for some aggressive goals this year - trying to take some big leaps - ensure your success. Work with a coach. Not just any coach. It must be the right coach for you and your situation.
Contact Jan to see if she's the coach for you and your situation. There is no obligation or fee for this exploration. If the two of you are not a good match, she'll suggest other sources.
Review partial client list and read customer comments.
Contact Jan by e-mail: jan@businessclassinc.com.
provides coaching
programs and services
(such as DISC and Time Management Assessments)
to support managers
in getting the performance
- and the results -
they want.
Better Business...Better
Read what clients say.
Set up an initial consultation.
Copyright 2007 – Business Class Inc
PO Box 2037 Chapel Hill, NC 27515 www.businessclassinc.com