Basketball is arguably my first love.  I love playing ball, watching ball, and now, I’m coaching ball – the 5^th Grade Lions of Laurelhurst Elementary School.

I only played basketball recreationally, so I never received proper coaching.  But once I started playing in organized leagues in Hong Kong, I started reading, watching and practicing in an attempt to improve.  My play was initially ugly and unrefined.  Over time, though, I did improve.  I got to learn my spots on the floor and where I belonged.  I also developed a solid free throw line jumper and how to be a strong defender.   My teams won a few championships, and I averaged 20/10 on some teams.

I believe that a person shows their true colors on the basketball court.  Are they leaders?  Supporting cast?  Complainers?  Blue collar workers?  Dirty players?  Watch someone play ball, and you will know the kind of person they are after only a few minutes.

However, this rule doesn’t apply to ten year olds….or does it?  Our first game was Saturday, and we lost.  Bad.  38-6 bad.  There were a variety of reactions.  Some cried, some giggled among themselves, some didn’t seem to notice.  Others, on the other hand, furrowed their brows, trying to analyze why the other team was superior.   One particularly gifted kid started talking strategy at half time.  Amazing.

So maybe the “true colors” hypothesis does apply to all levels of the game.  But this can apply to something else:  that this basketball team of young players can also be reflective of any group in any organization.  There are those who are knowledgeable, those who are driven, those who are there for the paycheck and those who are there, but should not be.    And whenever we’re in an organization, we don’t always get to select who we work with/for or who works for us.  The trick there is to understand everyone’s level at any particular game, their motivation for being there, how to make them better, and how to get them to do what you want.

Working in Asia, it was extremely rewarding working across global, regional and local colleagues and counterparts to execute projects and strategize.  It’s essential to get the support of key stakeholders.  But it’s also a challenge to understand what makes those people tick.  And if one cannot attain their support, it can be a challenge to yourself to produce a better proposal or business plan, even if, in the process, it’s understood that there may be other priorities more important for the team.

So, am I smarter than a 5^th Grader?  Well, I’d like to think so.  But I’m still learning from them.  They are teaching me how to become a better coach and a better manager.  They are teaching me how to understand different people, personalities and egos.  I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop by the time the season ends in February, as they face both wins and losses.  More than anything, though, I want them to learn (and love?) the game that has given me so very, very much.