I have never met a leader who did not make adjustments when things were not going well. Some adjustments were big, major overhauls. Some adjustments are slight, a tiny shift here or there in hopes of making a large impact. The size of many adjustments is often based on the leader’s level of knowledge, experience, or resources. They are simply doing everything they know how to do.
But here is what is interesting about adjustments, some work and some do not. The question is why?
Golden States Warrior head coach Steve Kerr is one of the best coaches in NBA history in making mid-game and personnel adjustments. In the June 5th edition of USA Today, columnist Dan Wolken explored why.
Back-up center Andrew Bogut said, “I think Steve does a great job with making sure guys are confident, giving guys confidence numerous times in the regular season. At times we get criticized for resting guys randomly in the regular season, and a part of that is getting that guy rest but a part of it is the mental game of Steve making sure that 12th guy, or 13th guy is going to get in the rotation and get some minutes and feel good about himself. We have guys who have played all around in the world and the NBA and been in bad situations, been in good situations, so when guys get their opportunity to play they take it.”
The following are seven reasons Steve Kerr’s adjustments work based on the comments above. If you do likewise, your adjustments will work as well.
- Kerr’s players have complete clarity in uncomfortable situations.
- Kerr’s players have confidence in high-pressure situations.
- Kerr exposes his players to these situations throughout the year.
- Kerr schedules reps, practice time, and game time for every player throughout the year.
- Kerr manages his players’ most valuable resources – time and energy.
- Kerr’s players are tested in both good and bad situations in a variety of environments.
- Kerr’s players are fearless. He says, “I think you have to be fearless, too, which our team is. You can’t worry about anything. You just go out there and play and compete and let it fly and whatever happens, happens.”
Clarity. Confidence. Exposure. Reps. Energy. Testing. Fearlessness. These are the seven reasons why some adjustments work and others do not.
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