How important is team chemistry?

Is this something we should prioritize over talent?

As a long-term basketball coach, I know first hand how important team chemistry can be.  With just a few poor attitudes infecting your locker room, your whole season can be shut down.  As a coach, it is your duty to sniff out any possible bad apples that will affect your teams’ chemistry.  A present day example is the Houston Rockets situation with Carmelo Anthony.  The team chemistry did not work and both parties went their separate ways.  Moving on seemed like the only logical solution.  This week in my #CJJblog I give you some tips on how to focus on the importance of team chemistry.  Enjoy.

• Talent isn’t everything. You win with chemistry, not talent.  Don’t be enamored by talent alone.  Look elsewhere to decide if they will be a good fit for your team.
• Attitudes are contagious. Weed out the bad apples with poor attitudes.  How do you go about identifying good attitudes to bring on to your team?
• Service oriented. One of the greatest basketball players of all-time, Bill Russell, once said the most important thing is not how I played, but how I helped my teammates play.
• Top players. Who are your hardest workers?  Are they the ones you would classify as your best players?  There should be no slippage at the top.  Keep everyone accountable for hard work.
• Three C’s. Competence (talent), Character (what you do when nobody is watching), and Care (about teammates).
• We over Me. Developing the team mindset over the individual is a tricky one.  Especially in sports, where everyone wants to be recognized.  Get your team to buy in to their roles for the good of the unit.
• Growth mindset. Consistently improve self and team.  Look to enhance others journey to get better every day.  How do you keep the growth mindset?

Did You Know?  One of Coach Jim Johnson’s former players, Anthony Lamb, had a great game earlier this week with 24 points for Vermont when they face #2 Kansas.

Life Tip #3: Leave a profit everywhere you go. Everything you touch turns to gold, not garbage.