Welcome to The Pause, dear friend. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.
I want to share a clip I’ve been thinking about for the past few weeks.
The clip involves Kenny Smith, a retired basketball player and now TNT announcer, recounting his favorite story about his late coach, Dean Smith, and a player who that coach went above and beyond to show up for.
(You don’t have to know a thing about basketball to enjoy it, promise.)
Settle in, take a deep breath, and get ready to pause in 3...2...1...
🏀 Understanding
Press play, and I’ll meet you back after you watch it.
(It should start at the 8-minute and 51-second mark and go for a little over 2 ½ minutes.)
…
Profound, right?
There’s so much to admire about Coach Smith. In an era when egos and my-way-or-the-highway were more likely to rule supreme, Coach Smith operated differently. He was humble. He listened. He sought to understand more than he sought to be right.
It takes a strong person to swim upstream like that — to know, and acknowledge, that they don’t know everything — especially in a position of power.
It takes an even stronger person to do something about that lack of knowledge — to dig in and actually do the uncomfortable work of learning and understanding.
These are the types of leaders who make a difference. It doesn’t matter if they’re leading a youth basketball team, or — like Coach Smith — one of the greatest college basketball teams of all time, a leader who is willing to commit their own time and mental energy to really understanding the people they’re leading is doing more than leading. They’re reinforcing just how much the people they lead matter.
Given this was nearly 40 years ago, Coach Smith could have brushed Makhtar N'Diaye’s culture aside, and gone on his way. He could have been grade-a asshole, gotten super pissy and reacted, “Well buddy, you’re in America now. Look at me!”
But he didn’t.
Instead, Coach Smith got quiet. He listened. And, he chose to lead by proving to N’Diaye just how much he mattered to the coaching staff.
Not just his basketball skills, but him as a person.
When leaders go the extra mile to not just see and hear us but to understand who we are as people it can make a lasting positive impact.
Today, give a few minutes toward appreciating those leaders who have impacted you positively, and consider how you might pay that impact forward.
A chance to celebrate leaders 🖤
**There are no right or wrong answers; just what’s true for you.**
Take a moment to think about a leader or two who has made a positive impact on your life.
What about them impacted you in a positive way? (Did they make you feel seen? Heard? Understood?)
How can you take inspiration from these leaders and incorporate it into how you lead? How can you pay it forward?
Enjoy life these next few weeks, my friend.
Love to you and yours until we meet again. 🖤
- L