Alright needless to say that last night was an awesome experience. I was able to enjoy firsthand the wonderful world of 4yr old basketball. My son, Nathaniel laced up the sneakers (they were actually velcro) and hit the hardwood. I am a basketball connoisseur so I love this time of year. Something about hearing the squeaking of sneakers on hardwood floor. I love it! Needless to say, as I reflected on last nights experience there were many things I took away from the nostalgic event but wanted to share 3 of them.
First, people can only do what you tell them or teach them to do. Those little guys last night are pretty much clean slates. You really can't blame it on coaching at this point. They don't have any experience really and were like little sponges. If the coach told them to hold the ball a certain way then it pretty much happened that way. If the coach said dribble to the baseline, then that is exactly what happened (sort of...good to know Nathaniel isn't the only who can't dribble more than twice until the ball shoots to the other side of the gym). The coach had to tell them and teach them everything. Every movement, every term, every drill...nothing could be assumed. This basic principle is so true in every aspect of life and business. We must be explicit with our teaching and set CLEAR objectives. Unless students, kids, employees are taught and shown exactly what to do and how to do it, how can we expect them to reach our expectations? We need to reflect on our methods. Ask ourselves, am I being clear with my expectations and objectives?
Secondly, a life without rules is no life at all! Of course chaos ensued when it was time to actually "play" a game. Most of the little guys have never played basketball before so they were totally unaware of the rules. In their eyes, dribbling isn't required, taking the ball from your own team mate is deemed appropriate, shooting at the wrong goal is acceptable, and actually watching the game at all is optional. It reminded me that rules are good! Boundaries are necessary! In order for me to have a full rewarding life I need...we all need rules, boundaries, and a system to operate in. When everyone does what they want to do when they want to do it the game doesn't really resemble a game at all. When we don't have rules that govern our lives our world will quickly spin out of control! For us to play the game of life AND be successful it is necessary to have principles and rules that govern every aspect of who we are.
Finally, I realized how easy it is to become one of "those" parents. It is so easy to sit back and critique others when you don't have a vested interest. But that was my little boy out there. I quickly found myself yelling and shouting at different times. I found myself basically becoming an obstacle for people to have to avoid because I wanted to get as close as I could for that priceless picture. The public perception of what I looked like and how others perceived me was only an after thought. I can't wait until next week. I want to redeem myself and prove to everyone else in the gym that I AM a civilized person.
First, people can only do what you tell them or teach them to do. Those little guys last night are pretty much clean slates. You really can't blame it on coaching at this point. They don't have any experience really and were like little sponges. If the coach told them to hold the ball a certain way then it pretty much happened that way. If the coach said dribble to the baseline, then that is exactly what happened (sort of...good to know Nathaniel isn't the only who can't dribble more than twice until the ball shoots to the other side of the gym). The coach had to tell them and teach them everything. Every movement, every term, every drill...nothing could be assumed. This basic principle is so true in every aspect of life and business. We must be explicit with our teaching and set CLEAR objectives. Unless students, kids, employees are taught and shown exactly what to do and how to do it, how can we expect them to reach our expectations? We need to reflect on our methods. Ask ourselves, am I being clear with my expectations and objectives?
Secondly, a life without rules is no life at all! Of course chaos ensued when it was time to actually "play" a game. Most of the little guys have never played basketball before so they were totally unaware of the rules. In their eyes, dribbling isn't required, taking the ball from your own team mate is deemed appropriate, shooting at the wrong goal is acceptable, and actually watching the game at all is optional. It reminded me that rules are good! Boundaries are necessary! In order for me to have a full rewarding life I need...we all need rules, boundaries, and a system to operate in. When everyone does what they want to do when they want to do it the game doesn't really resemble a game at all. When we don't have rules that govern our lives our world will quickly spin out of control! For us to play the game of life AND be successful it is necessary to have principles and rules that govern every aspect of who we are.
Finally, I realized how easy it is to become one of "those" parents. It is so easy to sit back and critique others when you don't have a vested interest. But that was my little boy out there. I quickly found myself yelling and shouting at different times. I found myself basically becoming an obstacle for people to have to avoid because I wanted to get as close as I could for that priceless picture. The public perception of what I looked like and how others perceived me was only an after thought. I can't wait until next week. I want to redeem myself and prove to everyone else in the gym that I AM a civilized person.