Airing It Out

I recently had the chance to witness something I've been looking for for a while now.

A while back, I posted this entry and mentioned that I was looking for a group willing to gel enough as a team to be willing to constructively go at each other and hold one another accountable for their performance. I saw a team really go at it, and just sat on the side and listened.

There was absolutely no filter. They were mad, and they let each other know it. Questioning each others effort for that game and even the effort to grow as an individual player. Calling out ballhogs, poor shot selection, and playing too timid. As I said in the post, dysfunctional teams lack that comfort with one another to be that honest. It was good to see all of that come out and get verbalized. One problem teams have, and I can vouch for that as I have the same issue at the office, is that there's that generalized problem. "You" is all too often replaced with "we" so that no one's feelings get hurt. The court is a warzone, and there's little place for hurt feelings there.

The one problem I have with the display I witnessed was there was no rebuilding. No healing, no strengthening of the bond. Just destruction. The team left points on the table in a big way. These types of meetings have to have purpose - and that purpose should be similar to that of a creature shedding a weaker layer to make way for a better, stronger, improved version. When a creature sheds the old, it goes and heals, as it is vulnerable for a time, and nurses itself to allow the new version time to adjust, strengthen, and take hold. They did not do this, and as a result, I don't really see much improvement for them in their future (I also don't see much because they are not basketball players but just average athletes who are not committed to one craft, but three) and that's a bit of a let down.

One day I'll see that whole process take place again. And hopefully it will end the right way.