Ben Guest, PhD, MFA

Joe Mazzulla has been practicing what he preaches at the Boston Celtics… He’s been handing over coaching responsibilities. Giving his assistants opportunities to lead. Giving veteran guard Mike Conley responsibility for managing substitutions. Allowing people to experience decisions, uncertainty and responsibility from a different perspective. I love this. Because coaches often talk about wanting more leadership from their players. Ownership. Accountability. Independence. But here’s my question… What opportunities are you actually giving your players to develop these qualities? Leadership doesn’t magically appear because a coach demands it. Leadership needs to be developed. Through experiences. Through conversations. Through decision-making. Through responsibility. And, importantly, through mistakes. Think about it… When a coach makes every decision, provides every answer, and solves every problem, what are the players learning? Perhaps they’re learning to become dependent. Perhaps they’re learning to wait for instructions. Perhaps they’re learning that leadership belongs to somebody else. Now contrast that with a coach who deliberately creates opportunities for players to think, communicate, collaborate, and make decisions. A coach who asks questions rather than immediately providing answers. A coach who gives players responsibility and then helps them reflect. That’s a coach developing independent competitors. And independence matters enormously in sport. Because when the whistle blows, players must perceive, decide and act. They must respond to changing circumstances. They must communicate and coordinate. They must take control and take charge. So here’s a challenge for coaches… Don’t simply demand leadership. Design opportunities for leadership. Evrty day of every week, and in every training session. Because the best leaders don’t just lead…the best leaders create more leaders. *********************************** There’s a great source here on the work of Coach Mazzulla: buff.ly/Tt9oCJ7