Taking the sport rules to the business field

A Coach’s Rules For Business Life

“The Playbook” Rules implemented in the business world.

Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

Netflix had released a great series called “The playbook: a coach’s rules for life.” In this series, there are six interviews with famous coaches. Each coach shares his personal story and the “rules” he lives in and explains how it affects his coaching techniques.

Besides the pleasure of listening to the greatest coaches in different fields, I found that we can easily implement it in the business world. Therefore, I decided to write a series of articles taking each coach’s rules and sharing my perspective on their business and employment rules.

This first article is about the rules shared by Coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers.

Rule #1

Finish the Race

Photo by Steven Lelham on Unsplash

“No matter what your target is, finish the race.”

When I was a student, I wanted more than anything to work in the prime minister’s office. Following my previous service as an intelligence officer, I dreamed of working there. Although I had no connections there, I decided that I will work there.

I submitted my CV via the official prime minister's office website and waited. Surprisingly, no one contacted me. “Okay,” I told myself, “there are probably many applicants out there,” and decided to try and submit it again.

Two months later, we had a career day at the university. Companies from different industries had booths. They were all out for a hunt for a brilliant student. When I saw the prime minister's office booth, I ran to the library, printed my CV, and ran back to the booth. This time, I handed it to someone who worked there. We had a polite conversation, and he gave me good feedback. I was sure that I would be contacted soon.

But I didn’t.

A month later, during a class, a good friend told me, “duty calls, got to go.” “Where are you going?” I asked him. “Just got beeped by the office. Got to go,” he answered. (Yes. Beeped. It was a long time ago). I immediately asked him, “where are you working?.” He smiled and answered, “I thought you knew. At the prime minister’s office,” and then he ran out of the class.

The day after, I printed my CV and handed it to him. He smiled and said, “No worries. I will make sure that your CV will be noted.” It worked. A few days later, I was invited for an interview at the prime minister’s office.

Sometimes the hard work, bureaucracy, and many unknowns become a mountain that hides our targets. We need to remember that we can handle bureaucracy; we can discover the unknowns. We can reach our targets.

Rule #2

Don’t be a victim

I remember a management meeting that took place following a weak month at work. Each manager showed that his department did everything possible while accusing the other departments of slowing down the pace and not performing their tasks on time.

Our CEO stopped everyone and asked everyone to stop acting like a victim. We had our targets. Each department relies on the other. Instead of blaming each other, we should work together. Instead of waiting for the other departments to deliver, we should offer our assistance and support each other. Otherwise, this kind of meeting will repeat itself.

Following the CEO’s statement, the tone of the conversation changed. People started offering ideas of collaboration and support. The management immediately understood that we still have a chance to recover, next month will look different.

When you choose not to be a victim, your mindset is changed. Instead of looking for reasons for failing, you start looking for solutions for your problems. This mindset leads to a can-do attitude and eventually helps you get your targets.

Rule #3

Ubuntu is a way of life

Ubuntu is an African word that symbolizes the essence of being human. As defined by Metz, “a person is a person through other persons.”

“I can not be all that I can be if you are not all you need to be.”

— Glenn “Doc” Rivers

Doc Rivers took the Ubuntu philosophy into the basketball field, and it became his team, The Clippers, way of life. The Clippers worked as one human organ. They worked as a team and were sensitive to each other. They took care of each other in the game and beyond it.

A company that encourages a culture of teamwork, celebrate success, and learns from its mistakes can easily use “Ubuntu” as a way of life. When working as a team, when employees are looking for each other, you can feel the organization's drumbeat. And when we all work according to the same drum beat, the results will be much better.

Rule #4

Pressure is a privilege

We all feel pressure in our careers. When heading into a defining moment, we can feel how important this moment is with all our senses. The pressure is high, and so is the fear of low performance.

In this documentary, Doc Rivers says that sometimes we need to run into these critical pressuring moments. We need to enjoy it and acknowledge the hard work that brought us to this moment.

Therefore, we should acknowledge these pressuring moments and remember that we worked hard to get there. No matter what will be the result, we hold the capabilities to succeed.

Rule #5

Champion, keep moving forward.

Photo by Fab Lentz on Unsplash

A champion knows how to deal with big tasks. When there are big tasks to deal with, a real champ knows to break it into small pieces and achieve it step by step.

If you had told me that I would sign a million-dollar contract years ago, it would have sounded like sci-fi in my ears. Now, after signing a few, it sounds very right. To get to the signing, I worked hard, dealt with all the fine details, and negotiated to get the best contract for both sides. All of that led us to sign these deals.

Look forward, aim for your target, build your milestones, and celebrate each of them. You will get there.

Notes:

1. Ubuntu definition, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://iep.utm.edu/hunhu/
2. Netflix, The playbook: https://www.netflix.com/il-en/title/81025735