Finding Success...It's About the Players

No one can debate the greatness of basketball coach Phil Jackson who has won 11 championships and is a Hall of Famer. He is credited for creating one of the most influential offenses, the triangle, that many coaches have tried to emulate. If you are a Knicks fan though, you are surely feeling the pain these last few seasons. Why you ask? They have the great Phil Jackson. Everyone thought the magical triangle offense would be a game changer and bring that same history of success to the NY Knicks. Herein lies the problem. His touted game plan is not working for his current players. He is stuck in a system that worked for his players in the past, including two of the greatest, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Phil Jackson continues to be rigidly married to the triangle offense, only seeking coaches and players who fit hissystem. He is not really seeing the players in front of him. On the other hand, if we go to the west coast, we can see Steve Kerr, the newly successful coach of the Golden State Warriors. Sure, he has the great Steph Curry on his team. But, if it were all built around the success of that one key player, wouldn't the team have lost mightily during the recent playoffs when Curry was out because of a sprained knee? While Kerr is a disciple of Jackson and understands the value of the triangle offense, his players come first. Steve Kerr knows his players. He knows their strengths and he builds his system around them. If we look at teaching in the same light as coaching, we need to strive to be the Steve Kerrs of the world. We need to know our students. We need to know their strengths and build our systems around them. Kerr didn't throw out the triangle offense, he tweaked it for his current players. What kind of instructional coach are you? Are you stuck in the triangle offense? Do you notice the strengths of your children and build on them? How are you tweaking your teaching?

#success #shine