3 Leadership Lessons From March Madness
Posted on March 22, 2012 by Baxter Dickson
Once the NCAA tournament begins, workplace productivity plummets. Employees fill out brackets, check scores, and turn in money to whoever runs the office pool. Not exactly an ideal time to be a manager. It’s impossible to step in and stop the fun, especially when you’ve got twenty dollars riding on your own bracket.
Fighting the fascination with one of the most exciting events in sports is senseless. Instead, think of yourself as a coach watching game footage. There’s much to learn here, because March Madness offers entertainment, excitement—and lessons in leadership.
#1 Make Every Day Matter
In the NCAA tournament, one bad game will sink the most talented team, just ask Duke. Therefore, coaches must keep their players motivated and focused if every game is to get them one step closer to the ultimate goal: a national championship.
While we don’t recommend adopting a “one-and-done” attitude, we do recommend finding ways to make every day matter. The average workday can be tedious, repetitious, and hard to get through. But it doesn’t have to be. You can make your workplace more interesting and exciting. Celebrate victories, large and small: a target met, a contract signed, a sale finalized. Find creative ways to make everyone feel important. Give your employees challenges and reward their efforts.
#2 Take Timeouts
Timeouts are a basketball coach’s greatest asset, aside from players. With a well-timed timeout, a coach can reorganize his offense or defense, kill negative momentum, or draw up the game-winning play.
A workplace timeout can be used for similar reasons.
Numerous studies indicate small breaks are an excellent way for employees to refresh and refocus. In fact, such breaks can increase overall productivity and prevent a decrease in work quality. If your negotiation session is becoming strained, take a short break to regroup. A brief hiatus to relax, loosen up, and stretch will go a long way toward easing office tension.
#3 Nurture Your Leaders
Every college team has a head coach and three assistants to devise a game plan, offer advice, and give pep talks. But who leads once the players reach the court? A successful basketball team needs players who can lead and inspire on the court. Their influence is undeniable. Kembe Walker’s late game heroics pushed UConn into the tournament and lead his team to victory in the 2011 championship game.
Who are your on-court leaders?
Leading an entire office is an impossible task to tackle alone, especially if the office is large. So, find leaders who can guide, and motivate in your absence. Don’t presume your highest performers are natural leaders. Instead, look for men and women who are helpful and challenge their colleagues without being asked. Once you’ve empowered an office leader, you will get results from your staff without the need to assert yourself into every situation.
Guiding a team through the NCAA tournament takes strong leadership skills. Each coach has to keep players motivated, make in-game adjustments, and give leaders a chance to shine. A business manager has the same responsibilities. Luckily for you, there’s more than one ultimate prize at stake and you can develop relationships for more than four years. If you want a more productive and positive office environment, learn from March Madness.
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