By Pete Van Mullem with Don Showalter
(May 16, 2021)

[Editor’s Note: This content will appear in an upcoming book: Cornfields to Gold Medals: The Story of Coach Don Showalter and 15 GOLD Lessons from a Life of Leadership. For more on the book or if you would like to follow the progress of the book, sign-up for the monthly newsletter: https://lcsc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6hZLc8T4JLbxAea]

The classroom adjacent to the basketball court at the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs quickly filled with 16 and 17-year old’s; elite level basketball players, men in physical stature, but still adolescents in the mental maturity that comes with age and experience. As members of the Junior National Team for USA Basketball, they were amidst a 10-day training camp in preparation for international competition. Beyond the daily physical practice sessions on the court, each day included time in the classroom for mental preparation and personal growth. The classroom sessions also afforded the coaching staff an opportunity to teach the international rules of play, engage in team-building activities, and instill a sense of pride; an appreciation of what it means to represent the United States in international competition.

Coach Don Showalter remained on the court as the players filed into the classroom. They were about to begin their seventh practice session in four days. While the overall effort of the team had been good and they were coming together as a group, he knew that each individual player could take more responsibility for their own development. As he stood outside the classroom, tasked with the responsibility to lead, teach, and model behavior to those under his guidance, the long-time high school coach from Iowa and 8-time gold medal winning coach, thought to himself this might be the time to challenge them individually to be better.

In the classroom and in front of his team, Coach Showalter said, “Get out your notebooks.” Each player opened their notebooks and flipped to a blank page. They were familiar with this routine as almost all the classroom sessions involved note taking. As they prepared to write, Showalter stated, “Write down the following phrase, these require zero talent: being on time, work ethic, effort, body language, energy, attitude, passion, and being coachable.”

He repeated the phrase as they wrote. Then he continued, “There is no shortage of basketball talent in this room, but there are things you can do that require no talent, things you can control. For instance, being on time is just a matter of respect, respect for your teammates and coaches. Being on time shows you are a team player and not a selfish player. It takes no talent to be on time but shows ultimate respect for everyone.”

Each player scribbled, in shorthand, as Coach Showalter talked. Attentive and engaged, they listened when Coach Showalter spoke. They knew the success he had leading the Junior National Team into international competition. More importantly, the entire coaching staff had earned the player’s respect through previous practice sessions and tryouts with their knowledge of the game and the commitment they demonstrated to each player’s individual development.

“It takes no talent to work hard all the time,” Showalter continued. “It only takes focus and concentration. Each of you can be known as a player who has a high work ethic. You can separate yourself from others, by simply working hard.”

He waited briefly until a couple of players glanced up from writing, then went on, “Work ethic and effort go hand in hand. Work ethic is a mindset. First, decide that you are going to work hard, then put forth the effort in everything you do. For example, get rebounds out of your area, take charges, and get deflections on defense. Work ethic and effort require no talent, but when put with the elite talent each of you has, you become a special player. It is easy to be average, but hard to be elite in all you do.”

He paused and gazed across the room at a couple of players, as they continued to write, hoping they would get the message about work ethic and mindset. “There are other things you can control that take no talent,” Showalter stated raising his voice a bit to heighten the importance of his next key point. “Did you know that you are judged by people who don’t know you or have never talked to you?”

The 16 and 17-years tightened up in their chairs, curious as to where coach was going with this. “People judge you by your body language. It is not fair, but they do. Do you communicate to others with your body language a sense of entitlement when being coached? Think about the message your body language sends when you are on the bench or after you get taken out of the game. In these moments, you are being judged by others. It takes no talent to have great body language.”

A few players shifted in their seats, maybe a moment of self-awareness about what message their body language was sending right now or because the ergonomics of the classroom furniture did not adequately account for their physical size. 

Showalter moved forward with the next message. “You can combine your work ethic and effort with body language to develop a sense of urgency or energy in how you approach your time on the basketball court. Create a vibe that you are here to work and get better. In other words, be an energy giver, not a taker. For example, give off a positive vibe in your interactions with others on the court by controlling your emotions after a play that does not go your way and by celebrating the play of your teammates. Off the court, smile, engage in conversation, and show genuine interest in others.”  

The athletes nodded and continued to write. This point seemed to resonate with them immediately.

“Displaying and giving positive energy to others is a choice you make; you control this, and it reflects your attitude. Like work ethic, your attitude is a mind-set, and it takes no talent. For example, how do you respond when your teammate does not catch your pass? What about when I or one of the other coaches gets on you for making a bad play or even when you make a good play? How will you respond?”

His questions got them thinking about their own actions and when he related the content to examples on the court, many of the players would pause their writing and look up at him as if they were thinking about a recent moment they had on the court, trying to remember how they responded.

“Right now, think about how you can have an attitude of servitude towards your teammates and USA Basketball,” stated Showalter as his eyes lit up and his voice tone changed, you could sense what he was about to say meant something to him. “It is not about you and how we at USA Basketball can help you. Yes, we are here to help you become better players and grow as a person, but you are representing the United States of America. That name on your chest means you have a responsibility to think about how you can help USA Basketball best represent our country in international competition. This means on and off the court. This starts with your attitude, and it takes no talent.”

The U16-U17 players were no longer writing, they were captured by Coach Showalter’s emotion when he spoke about representing the United States. Showalter let the moment sink in briefly and then stated, “Every team before you have done this, each player learned to recognize that the team and representing the USA is bigger than themselves. That is what playing for USA Basketball is all about.”

He could have ended the meeting right there but decided to lead them into the next practice session by finishing the final two key points of the lesson. “Passion is defined as a real love for what you are doing. When you love something there is a natural tendency for you to display this through your actions. However, at times we hold back. It has to be genuine but be enthusiastic and share your love for basketball with us. This relates back to your work ethic, your effort, and bringing a sense of urgency or energy to how you play each day.”

Although still attentive, many of the team members fidgeted in their seats as their effort to stay focused began to wane. Coach Showalter sensed this and picked up the cadence of his speech, “All of you have done a great job of listening for the last 20 minutes. Your focus and concentration here in the classroom, is a great example of being coachable. You make a choice to be coachable. Being coachable is really a sum of everything we have talked about.”

He paused briefly to gauge their understanding, then concluded, “Look at what you wrote down. If you take action to do these things that require no skill, you are being coachable and gaining a competitive edge on those unwilling to take the same actions. It does not matter how much athletic or basketball talent you have right now, each of these actions can give you a competitive edge. Now let’s go out and have a great practice this morning. Take the floor and start your warm-up.”

As the team filed out of the room, Showalter felt they had received the message. Although the classroom sessions would often involve more interaction, a back n’ forth exchange that got each team member participating in the lesson, today’s approach laid a framework that he could apply and reinforce throughout the rest of the training camp.   

As a leader, think about how you can help others take actions that require zero talent. While the concepts Coach Showalter teaches are related directly to basketball, many of the same concepts could be applied to the setting you work in. To teach the skills that require zero talent in leading others, consider the following key points:

• Being on time is just a matter of respect and demonstrates respect for everyone.  
• Work ethic is a mindset that takes focus and concentration.
• Effort is the action you take after you decide you are going to work hard.
• Be aware that other people will judge you by your body language.
• Energy is a displayed sense of urgency that you are here to work and share a positive vibe in your interactions with others.
• Your attitude is reflected in how you respond to challenges and praise.
• Share your passion and love for what you do through work ethic, effort, and energy.  
• Being coachable is a choice to act on skills that require zero talent.  

Do you like this article? Check out the following:
Building Team Culture: “Mind Candy” for Coaches
The Foundation of an Effective Practice Session
Teach Work Ethic, Stay Humble, and Surround Yourself With Good People
It’s Not What You Teach – But How You Teach It
End on a Positive