An Important Improvement Opportunity

November 4th, 2019

Team

Relationships

Engaging younger players

Psychological safety

Being part of something bigger than ourselves

A question. What is the one improvement that will make the greatest impact on the success of this year’s team? Better shooting? Reduced turnovers? The inside game? Our ability to handle pressure? Those watching the team play through the summer and into the fall league might cite different improvement areas. And certainly every team can improve on a number of technical skills.

Last year’s team had to work on finishing inside, improved free throw shooting and getting the drama out of the way – and they did improve on finishing, free throw percentage and reduced drama – or at least they put the drama in a box for a while. The difference was evident in that they won a number of games that they would have lost the year before. That team was different from this team. There were seven seniors on that team, all capable of contributing to the team’s success. With those seniors were five other capable players. The challenges were about self-sacrifice, realizing that there was not enough playing time for everybody and resisting the urge to act out frustration in ways that would distract the team (by engaging in the drama).

This year’s team is five deep. If you know even a little about basketball you probably realize that five deep is not deep at all. You are one injury, one stomach virus, one foul call away from being in trouble.

So, what is the most important target improvement this year? Developing a core of reliable players who can come off the bench and compete. It’s important for this year’s team and next year’s team. To do that they have to continue to develop their technical skills. They have to try to use those skills in game situations. They will fail at times – we know that - it’s how you learn. What we don’t know yet is if they will continue to try, risking more failure. For the younger players to continue working, trying, struggling and getting better they have to feel safe. It has to be safe for them to fall short sometimes. There has to be trust. The younger players have to trust that they will be supported no matter what happens. The veteran players have to trust the younger player’s intentions. They want to play well. They want to contribute and be a part of the team’s success. Their intentions are good.

It’s easy to recognize a lack of trust on the basketball court. You see it when a veteran player pauses before passing to an open younger player. You see it when a player plays tentative defense, not trusting their teammates to rotate and help when needed. You see it before practice starts as the players file in and organize themselves by status. On the court it’s the difference between flow / rhythm and hesitation / awkward execution.

This is not unusual. It is how teams evolve. Sociology has a model for it. Originally Tuckman’s Four Stages of Group Development it’s now the Five Stages. The stages are Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. Teams come together (Forming), they struggle to find common ground and an identity (Storming), they start to figure it out (Norming), they reach a higher level of performance (Performing) and their time together comes to an end (Adjourning). It happens on teams, at work, in church groups, in the military or wherever a number of people come together.

For this team to thrive it has to evolve from the returning varsity players and the “other girls” to become one team. That starts with the veterans. They have to make it safe for the younger girls. They need to recognize and acknowledge the important role the younger girls play this year. And they need to get to know these girls, find some common ground and appreciate their differences. They need to share the experience a season brings.

They say words matter AND THEY DO – but actions matter as much as words. In Give and Take, Adam Grant talks about a theory proposed by Marilyn Brewer, She says that “on one hand we want to fit in: we strive for connection, cohesiveness, community, belonging, inclusion and affiliation with others. On the other hand, we want to stand out: we search for uniqueness, differentiation, and individuality.” What we want often creates inner conflict. The more we affiliate with the group the more we sacrifice our individuality. Conversely, the more we express our individuality the more we risk our connection and sense of belonging. To resolve this conflict Brewer says we have to look for ways to both stand out and fit in. She calls it optimal distinctiveness. One of the best ways to achieve it is to join a unique group – one with shared interests, goals, values and skills, characteristics and experiences gives us a sense of belonging. We can be both connected and unique. A basketball team can be that unique group.

It’s the great paradox – tons of research tells us the we thrive and do our best when we work in partnership with others, when we sacrifice for the larger cause, when we are part of something bigger than ourselves yet we live in a world that constantly cautions us to “take care of yourself, don’t worry about anybody else, take what you can”.

True teams offer an opportunity. In reality being a team player is not in conflict with our individual search for recognition. When a group rallies around a common purpose and commits to each other there is an expectation of reciprocity – I give of myself to my teammates and expect that they will in turn give to me. If I apply my skills in the service of my teammates, our success will be my success.

So if we cut to the chase – this year’s team has to actively engage with each other, embrace the new kids, support them, encourage them. Accept the fact that they are learning- learning how to contribute. Veterans can nurture that or squash it. Only one of those options works. Keep the end in mind. Learn through the year – from wins and losses, build towards the end when the tournaments happen. How deep will we be then?

Bob Peterman