Discovering Leadership in Basketball

For as long as basketball exists, there is an ongoing discussion on leadership. Some people say one must be born to be a leader, others argue that anybody can foster a leadership skill set. Likewise, some state that a leading scorer of the team is a true leader, others always stand up for the best “locker room guy”.

Indeed, becoming a true leader of the basketball team is a process. In fact, nobody is born with per-existing leadership skills and therefore any player has a potential to be a leader. So why only a few players eventually emerge as leaders, and why others might flourish into ones only some years later, perhaps with a different team and in a different environment?    

Some time ago, I came across an interesting book on the subject of leadership. Though it was pertaining to leadership in the business world, it could be easily applied to the world of sports.  The book is called True North, Discover Your Authentic Leadership and is co-written by Bill George and Peter Sims. 

The biggest statement of this book is opening a door for anyone who is aspiring to be a true authentic leader:

“Over the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1,000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitive leadership styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders. The fact that none of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader is good news. If scholars had produced a cookie-cutter leadership style, people would forever be trying to emulate it.” 

In other words, each player on the basketball team has a True Authentic Leader potential, but the reality is, only a handful of players dig deep inside them to unearth their leadership treasure. Others, misguided by stereotypes and possibly peer pressure, simply choose to follow and stay in the shell. Certain players always seem to be more secure to stay “closed” within oneself, since no one is going to hurt his feelings and beliefs. Moreover, some have a tendency to “hide” behind a stat sheet numbers. This false sense of security eventually affects team’s performance due to the fact that many things remain unsaid and the team loses its sense of direction.

In my many years within pro basketball teams, I’ve seen “false leaders” – such players would usually make a lot of unnecessary noise during practices and games and then disappear during the most crucial moments that define a season. Other guys tried hard to lead the team on the floor but it would be their off the floor “heroics” that would cause resonance and undermine their leadership. Clearly, self-discipline and solid values were the two key ingredients missing from their leadership recipe.  

Here are the five dimensions of an authentic leader according to Bill George and Peter Sims:

1. Pursuing purpose with passion
2. Practicing solid values
3. Leading with heart
4. Establishing enduring relationships
5. Demonstrating self discipline

What I have learned from my basketball experience is that the more I was discovering myself, the better influence I would have on the team as a leader, and my leadership style was changing from simply leading by example and being true to myself to eventually being vocal, empowering others and holding players accountable for their actions.

To finish up my post, here are some inspirational quotes from the book:

“The reality is that no one can be authentic by trying to be like someone else. There is no doubt that you can learn from their experiences, but there is no way you can be successful trying to be like them. People trust you when you are genuine and authentic, not an imitation.” 

“Leaders are defined by their unique life stories and the way they frame their stories to discover their passions and the purpose of their leadership.”