lessons from the hardwood
While stealing a few minutes this evening to watch Sportscenter, I saw a fascinating interview with John Calipari. Calipari is the head basketball coach at the University of Memphis, the preseason #1 team in the country. UM has made it to the Elite 8 and won over 60 games in the last two years. This year they return 7 of thier 8 leading scorers from last year – no surprise the pollsters have high hopes for this team.
Here’s the amazing part. During a practice session last year, John had a Junior College coach in the area observe their workout. Afterwards over lunch, the JC coach offered a few pointers on how they could change their offense. Intrigued, John further inquired about the new set-up and figured this JC coach was on to something. Calipari then proceeded to totally revamp his team’s offensive scheme going into the 2007-08 basketball season.
Here are a few leadership principles for us all:
1. Always be willing to learn – Here is one of the most decorated coaches in the college ranks not just taking, but asking for advice from an obscure coach at a junior college. Never be too good to learn.
2. You can always improve – After the interviewer ran down the list of accomplisments for UM, Calipari interrupted him and said “But we don’t have a national championship.” Despite the success, he was not willing to settle for good.
3. Be willing to fail – Admittedly, Calipari is taking a huge risk by overhauling the team’s offensive scheme. And it might not work. But it might. Great leaders have to find out, even at the risk of failing.
So John Calipari, you’ve been officially designated a Barbarian in my book.
