Sharing the Ball: How the Warriors taught groups to produce at a higher level (not a basketball article!)

A friend of mine shared this article with me. It describes what Steve Kerr, Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, did when he became the coach that took the Warriors from a moderately competitive team to World Champions in his first season as their coach. (Stick with me. This is not a basketball post) The Warriors were 12th in the NBA in passes per game. Kerr told them they had to share more. Lots more. The Warriors increased their passes per game by almost 100, led the league in passes per game by a wide margin, and the rest is history. In fact, the Warriors were pretty much unstoppable if they passed the ball at least 300 times per game.

At the same time, I've been studying Agile Leadership and its emphasis on teams sharing information with each other and that productivity and job satisfaction sky rockets when information is freely shared. I've spent some time reflecting on this idea of sharing in small groups and I was really inspired by all of its applications. Families, project management groups, church staffs, administrative teams and host of other groups need to share more!

What does sharing look like? 
First, it's scheduled regularly. Sharing doesn't happen on accident. Not sharing happens on accident. Sharing has be intentionally integrated into your group.
Second, the information is about the past, present, and future. The group begins to understand what each individual has done, is doing, and would like to do. This plants seeds to help each other in a very customized manner.
Third, everyone shares information. No one dominates. If everyone is to support then everyone has to share.
Fourth, it's transparent and authentic. Sharing isn't a brag session. Individuals aren't afraid to say 'I'm struggling' or 'I need some help on this.' Individuals aren't afraid to compliment each other for what is going well.

Where should you start? 
How about a regularly scheduled family dinner to talk about family events coming up? Or a quick 'stand up' meeting with your immediate co-workers in your department? How about a date with your spouse to reflect on why things have been so challenging (without blaming each other!). Maybe a weekly group text to your staff that asks for feedback? There's a lot of ways to start sharing, the important thing is to START SHARING!

What happens when sharing happens? 
Look at the picture of that Warriors team. That's what happens. Winning, joy, contentment, deep bonds, a sense of pride in the product, and a host of other things. The picture also represents different races, different parts of the world, different economic upbringings; let alone a wide range of basketball skill sets. Maybe the most important thing when sharing happens is it brings people together.

Start sharing with your group and watch people come together to make something special happen!

‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.

Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader and Director of Athletics at The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart and they have three teen age children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for all sorts of inspirational thoughts and good laughs.