basketball anecdote part 2: laying the rails for the growth train

I can’t leave you the Carlisle story here with a simple “coach to your talent” recommendation. That’s a slogan that’s almost devoid of content.

What I can recommend is a specific move that Carlisle made with superstar #3, Tyrese Haliburton. Carlisle laid the rails for Halliburton’s growth train. He taught the young point guard how to watch film. 

Game film of your own play is basically feedback on your performance. It carries fewer distractions and flaws than another person’s take on your performance. It’s a third-party record; it’s data. Being able to watch film, identify shortcomings, strengths, and opportunities, and then make changes raises the ceiling on a player’s performance. They have a whole ‘nother coach: themselves.

Carlisle “coaching to his talent” isn’t simply giving a star the ball and saying “let it rip”. It’s equipping that star with the ability to improve himself – and setting the expectation that he do so.

Ben and I see this in our own coaching of executives. We help them most when we push them to identify the problem and the answer rather than supplying those for them.* That id’ing is a transferable skill the exec can apply in lots of situations to come, when Ben and I won’t be there with them.

-eric

*Often by having them watch film of themselves in action!