Sport and the Growing Good

Every coach wants a superstar on the team! But coaching and leading a great player is not always easy as leaders attempt to foster an entire organization. Lionel Messi was the greatest player in the history of the game, and his journey illustrates some complex leadership decisions that Barca needed to make in order to sustain success during and beyond his tenure with the team. In this fourth episode on the Barca case with Professor Jordi, we discussed:1.     Review of past weeks – the history of Barca, the impact of Cruyff, and the importance of La Masia.2.     Messi’s journey to La Masia and the club as a young player. “It was a perfect environment for him.”3.     “The talent is enhanced by the system.”4.     Messi’s early success with the club.5.     Messi as a leader. “He was shy…He was a leader in a different way…He didn’t speak very much in the dressing room…but the place where he was speaking was on the field…He created the glue that sustained the team in many ways.”6.     “He understood very well that the system needed to be in place in order for the team to evolve.”7.     Dilemmas that faced the team during Messi’s later years with the team. Balancing salary, fit, and other variables. Long-term vision.8.     Post-Messi, the club re-invested in its values and La Masia – to reach the championship again.9.     The importance of belonging, belief and connectedness. 10.  The enduring legacy of Barca as it plays out through Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta and others.

Our coaching class discussed the importance of individual and collective identity formation. We also addressed Coach Jackson’s notion of “telling a story” as a team. We discussed:1.        Erving Goffman’s – “presentation of self in society” – front stage selves and back stage selves. We think there are “scripts” we need to follow.2.        4 types of Identity formationa.        incremental formation – Vance Walberg – hard workers – everyday evidence.b.        dark night of the soul – through challenge – “everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face”– St. John of the Cross.c.        in relation to opponents/context – Bulls “peaceful Warriors” – storytelling, engagement. d.        punctuated equilibrium – a noteworthy event reveals who we are – Example: Bulls vs. Pistons.3.        As all of these types of identity formation may be playing out, coaches are critical in shaping the trajectory as “a story we’re writing.” We are the authors of the script. 

La Masia is one of the leading youth academies in the world. It prepares elite athletes, while emphasizing holistic growth and development. As the primary educational system for the FC Barcelona club, the Academy has evolved over the years. The program is rooted in sound educational and developmental research. Professor Jordi Diaz Gibson guided us through some of the key aspects of La Masia. We discussed:1.     La Masia (“farmhouse”). Its history and how it’s changed over the years. 2.     Cruyff put La Masia and “learning” at the center of FC Barcelona. “This is the way we understand the game (total futbol) and this is the way we will train.”3.     Holistic development at La Masia: “Masia 360.” The learning process is central. “It is the heart of the club.”4.     Carles Folguera. Striving to develop elite players and elite human beings. “We need to make a project for the ones who don’t make it.”5.     The experiences of Andres Iniesta at La Masia.6.     Alignment around a “common language.” 7.     The importance of physical spaces that foster interaction.8.     La Masia’s production of top Barca players (65% of its players). Developmentally effective and economically efficient. “We are proud of investing in innovation and development.”9.     The Barcelona Innovation Hub.

In this session, we continue discussing the leadership of FC Barcelona (Barca), one of the great sports organizations in the world. Barca’s emergence as a leading club was deeply influenced by Johan Cruyff. In this conversation with Professor Jordi Diaz Gibson, we discussed:1.     Cruyff’s background as a player and coach.2.     “Cruyff created the DNA of the team … not only the way the team plays, but the way the organization flows.”3.     Barca before Cruyff. Real Madrid as the main team historically. Dictator Franco as Real Madrid fan – the cultural importance and seeds of the rivalry with Barca.4.     Cruyff’s vision. Intelligence. Space. Ball possession. “Total futbol.”5.     Creating a learning academy: La Masia.6.     Team culture, community investment. “He wanted to have the roots of the team in the values of Catalonia.”7.     What was Cruyff like as a leader? 8.     Cruyff’s key decisions and actions relating to the political and cultural context of the times. Grounding in Catalonian values. Arts, creativity, collectivity.9.     The importance of knowing and understanding the context of where we lead. The values and strengths of the setting.10.  The example of Pep Guardiola. Others in the Cruyff legacy.11.  Cross-sport collaboration. Multi-sport influence. The exchange of ideas between coaches.12.  Homophily (the tendency to spent time with people who are like us). Propinquity (the disproportionate influence of what’s nearest to us). Being purposeful about getting beyond our silos.

In this session, we discussed the importance of having a system to give your team focus and direction. Coach Jackson also gave many other words of wisdom for aspiring coaches and leaders as we seek to impact others in sports.1.     The importance of physical surroundings and living by water.2.     Situational awareness. 3.     Having a system. “It allows a team to focus.”4.     “The first 30 minutes of practice are the most important because it’s what the player remembers.”5.     The importance of “entrances and beginnings.”6.     Gathering in a circle at the beginning of practice.7.     “The moment of truth” when bringing the ball up the court.8.     The importance of the physical space and what it represents. Bulls meeting room: The White Bull. A head dress. Arrows and bows. 9.     Finding the balance in “sticking to the system” vs. adapting.10.  Putting in constraints in practice to encourage player development.11.  Coach Jackson’s journaling. An “event journal.”12.  Off-season reflection routines.13.  “You have to be a salesman if you’re a coach.”14.  Teaching the team how to breathe together.15.  Keeping scrimmages competitive in practice. Mix-up the lineups. E.g., matching up Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.16.  Being more patient as a more experienced coach. 17.  Keeping players calm. Breathing.18.  Rooting.19.  Snapping the rubber band to get back to yourself.20.  “Know yourself. Be yourself.”

 Practice is where teams come together and hone their ways of playing together. Coaches play a central role in creating effective practices. 1.     When looking for players, what should we be looking for? Winners. What kind of record do they have and what role have they played in it?2.     “One of the great things about the Lakers and the Bulls teams was their acknowledgement of how important practice was. The effort that went into practice and how competitive it was.”3.     Keeping practice competitive: Balance talent in practice to replicate what you’ll be facing in the game.4.     Pat Summit: “A winning gym is a noisy gym.”5.     “Gyms are noisy places…I tried to mute sound so that your voice could be heard. I think it’s really important for a coach to have a voice that’s understandable and recognizable.”6.     Silent practices to mix things up.7.     “Just basketball terminology practices.”8.     Music or not in practice? (Coach Jackson’s preference was not.) 9.     Physical positioning of the coach in practice. “Move through practice with the team…I think it’s really important for you to be close to the action.”10.  Coach Jackson’s practice plan. Connecting it all to the system.11.  Coach Bill Fitch: 28 two-a-days in 29 days!12.  Neuroplasticity.13.  Repetition. 14.  “How do you keep the flow going? How do you keep the energy going?...That’s fine…but you can be hurrying to a lickin’ if you have such energy that become unintelligible…You need to play under control. Controlled frenzy. Controlled chaos.”15.  How did you communicate with coaches throughout practice? Meeting an hour before practice. Making sure all coaches had a role, had a voice.16.  “We all are fallible. But we are given the authority to teach and to coach.”17.  “Credibility comes from success. It comes from voice…And also, maybe vulnerability is too strong of a word. Maybe the word is approachable. We should be approachable.”18.  Using warm-up/stretching time to connect with players.19.  Habits after practice.20.  Naps to rejuvenate.21.  Pre-practice meetings. 22.  George Mumford and the “midpoint line” to gauge team mood.23.  How did you take pressure off the players? “Stop the outside noise.”24.  Keep the group protected. “It’s important that we stay small and tight.”

Christian Franck is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where, among numerous other projects, he serves as Director of the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and the head of the PANTHER Project, which develops technologies for detecting and preventing traumatic brain injuries. Professor Franck’s work has significant implications in the area of athletics, where we are always striving to protect brains in better ways.  Professor Franck is a BIOS fellow, where we learn from him as a leading researcher contributing to the field of athletics. In this conversation we discussed:Christian’s focus: How the brain becomes injured and what can we do to better protect the brain?His pre-college experiences and how he applied for and matriculated to college in the U.S.People who helped him along the journey: undergraduate faculty and advisors. What he learned along the way: “Be curious.”Early interests in aerospace engineering, aircraft and flying.Research to make better helmets and materials to protect brains. Partnerships with U.S. military.The invisibility of brain injuries. “We want to be able to detect all brain injuries. Particularly ones that are asymptomatic.”“Just because there are no physical marks does not mean that there is not a physical injury.”Developing mathematical models in the area of brain injury: “We want to be able to be predictive.” It requires the integration of physics and engineering with the life sciences.Studying the safety of soccer headers in youth age 12-18. Head rotation as important factor.Developments in helmet materials. Light carbon-based, energy-absorbent materials. Translation of science into policy, 2 main steps: Clear evidence/data; Working with leaders to adopt new rules.The safest helmets reduce head rotation.How AI may improve helmets and brain health.How do we weigh risks. “Embrace your inner athlete!” (And “make the right choices.”) Empowering people with information when making decisions.

We will be learning in depth about the leadership of one of the world’s top sports organizations: FC Barcelona (Barca). Our expert guide is Professor Jordi Diaz Gibson, a top level scholar and former elite, national-level athlete in Barcelona. In this first episode, Professor Diaz Gibson discusses his own background, the role of Barca in local lives, the Barca book by Simon Kuper, and some of the lessons we can think about in the months ahead. What Barca meant to Jordi and others as he grew up near the stadium.The cultural importance of Barca.The influence of Johan Cruyff on Barca and the game of soccer. "Total futbol."Cruyff’s emphasis on talent and skill over size.Idea transfer within and beyond organizations.Lionel Messi. La Masia, the developmental program for Barca.Barca's unique leadership structure.Barca as an "innovation lab."

Coach Jackson delivered some foundational comments on the importance of coaching.When he first started coaching: “I realized that I had scant knowledge.”“As a coach, I learned that you had to set up a sequence early on when the people gathered together to tell them what was going to happen and how this was going to transpire.”“Until an athlete goes through the actual motion and activity, it’s not embedded in their body.”A Lakers player saying that practice, “Feels like being back in the 7th grade…I like it.”Two instrumental coaches in Coach Jackson’s life: a high school football coach who was a former Marine and a high school basketball coach who was a Lutheran deacon. "The two of the were drastically different...Both of them had great impressions in my life.”“A coach is something that lasts a lifetime. This is an opportunity to make a change in people’s lives and you have to approach it with that knowledge. You have to prepare yourself for that activity."“You have to master the details."

A key charge for coaches is bringing their teams together to form a collective identity. Team identity formation is a complex process that can shape the group’s journey in profound ways. In this session, Coach Jackson offers some insights on team identity formation.1.        Setting the tone for a new season: Speaking with the team about pressure.2.        Visualizing the new season ahead. What did Coach Jackson visualize? Pre-mortems. “How do we incorporate new people into the system? We start with their habits. How to build skill sets…Doing that goes through some basic drills to get your body in shape.”3.         What intangibles do you look for in getting the individuals you want for your system? Looking at how individuals handle mistakes. “We used to watch players’ demeanors on the floor.”4.        Dennis Rodman’s impact upon team identity: “He was going to extend the effort.”5.        Off-seasons can create individuals who are isolated or even egotistical. “As a coach, you want to get that taken care of. To make them part of the group.” 6.        Functional diversity. Valuing different roles on the team.7.        The “dark night of the soul.” Leading teams through difficult times.8.        A team bonding through its punishment by the coach.9.        Building incremental evidence of a team’s identity.10.  Punctuated equilibrium. Rapid and radical identity change of a group.11.  Group identity formation being impacted by the competition. “It’s a standard that your group has to live up to.”12.  Responding to the Pistons’ intimidation attempts. “We’re standing our ground. We’re not going to be intimidated by you. But we’re not going to make a big issue out of it … We’re peaceful Warriors. We’re going to contest you and resist you. But we’re not going to stand up and get in a brawl. That’s not necessary… Those are little things that you see as a coach that you’ve got to have some resolve and some ideas about how you want to present yourself as a team.”13.  Identifying the “essence” of our opponents and ourselves. Pressure as a key construct in one’s essence. Talking to players, “How do you feel about pressure?” The coach has to be able to discuss this. A team must be able to “join together to collaborate under duress to be successful.”14.  Being able to sell what you’re going to teach.15.  The coach as “horse rider” metaphor. Understanding the student and how they best learn.16.  John Wooden: “My coaching was done in practice.” Players led the way during games because they’d been coached.