Three Weeks

They say it takes three weeks to create a habit.  It's been three weeks since my last blog post -- a reprehensible length of time -- so I thought I better post immediately so non-posting doesn't become a habit.

It's been a very full three weeks.  Come to think of it, when are my weeks not full?  I've seen many examples of leadership and followership over these three weeks, both good and ill.  I'll try to touch on these in the next few, short, blog posts.

I keep coming back to the NCAA basketball tournament.  I was in Denver two weeks ago to watch the 2nd and 3rd rounds and saw six games in two days.  Some very good stuff ... and some dreadful stuff.

Jimmer Fredette was the nation's leading college scorer this year, and I could see why in the two games I saw him play.  Against poor little Wofford, he had the ball about 90 percent of the time: he took what seemed like every other shot, dribbled the ball upcourt and held it long each possession, made a series of ill-advised drives looking for fouls.  Just a terrible display of selfishness and basketball.  He looked like the kind of leader who feels he has to do everything himself.  He scored 32 points on 10-for-25 shooting (team 24-for-61).

In the second game, against Gonzaga, he was a mostly different player.  He passed a lot more, set up his teammates for open shots, and hit some amazing long-range shots at just the right times to tear Gonzaga's heart out.  He looked like the kind of leader who is comfortable in front and comfortable supporting and serving in the background.  He scored 34 points on 11-for-23 (team 31-for-59).

I just looked up the stats and was stunned to discover that the stat lines were basically the same.  In the first game, it felt like he took every shot; in the second, it felt like he rarely shot.

And that might be the most important leadership lesson of Jimmer Fredette: it's not all about the results ... it's about the people, and the process.