A Coach's Diary

NBA legend Bill Russell wrote a book talking about his relationship with head coach Red Auerbach. He wrote: "From the first, Red's method of coaching me was by observation, listening, and conversation." Russell said that he was a private person and a man of few words. Red realized that and respected it. He used that information to coach Russell. Russell further wrote: "His attitude was: 'How can we do this together?' He approached it by asking himself, 'Russell is a good ballplayer. What can I do to help him win games?' That would have been sufficient. But he went further: 'This is a man I like and respect." Coaching, teaching, and leadership are about a transfer of information. The best way to transfer that information is by connecting with your athletes, getting to know them and their personalities, how they learn best, and how they receive information best.  This is done by listening first. Listening first is how we get more i...

In this excerpt from the book Red and Me, by former basketball great Bill Russell, Bill talks about the psychology that legendary coach Red Auerbach used to get the best out of his players for the betterment of the team. Red would talk to a guy by mainly listening.  That was how he got more information about his players and their agendas.  I saw him do that so often that when he was talking to me, I always knew what he was doing.  He wasn't assessing my needs - they didn't come into play.  He wasn't asking himself, "What's this person all about?"  He was asking, "How can I help his guy contribute to the team?"  I picked this up very early.  What he was doing was listening, motivating, and enabling us to play our best, which ultimately enhanced our careers. Every player in an organization, whether its a team, a school, or a business, has their own agenda for being part of the organization.  A leader, instead of throwing his/her weight around ...

In this excerpt from the book, Red and Me , by Bill Russell, Bill talks writes about how Red Auerbach approached each player as individuals. Red respected every player as he was, and listened to each individually.  But he did not, strictly speaking, treat everyone equally.  He recognized that everyone was different - we all had different contracts, different physical and mental abilities, different mindsets and habits and methods of preparation.  He also had to consider all of our different agendas.  WIth professional basketball players, there are never enough minutes and never enough shots to satisfy everyone in every game.  We didn't start out as equal ballplayers, so that kind "equal" is not helpful in a team circumstance.  Red knew this. Every player is his own man with his own abilities and his own agenda for playing the game.  You have to respect that about them and appreciate their uniqueness and what they bring to the team in order to ge...