Being a big sports fan, I always look for ways to apply leadership tools into the sports world and vice versa. Those interests led to the creation of a program designed for sports teams where I took the 3 Pillars of Impact into the Locker Room.
 
The Impact Grid is no different. Applying it to both the Team perspective as well as the role of the Individual Athlete as part of the greater team. With basketball getting underway, let’s take a look at how the Impact Grid can be used to set and measure contributions for the player and for the team.
 
 PERFORMANCE
The great thing about sports is that you have statisticians or fancy A.I. like  Hudl and Synergy that make your performance metrics readily available. You have the basics focused on scoring, assists, rebounds, etc.,  but then you have advanced metrics like Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG%) and Value Point System (VPS) that try to give a more complete picture. On a side note, if you really want to see the power of Data Analytics in sports, read the book Moneyball.
 
Let’s be honest, you can pick and choose what you measure to give you the desired outcome you seek. What you choose to measure in Performance needs to be relevant to what your team needs from you. This is why having strong communication to ensure alignment with your coach is critical to your development plan. 
 
When you enter the crazy and complex world of college recruiting, the college coaches are also providing feedback on what they want to see from you as well. They also have full time analytical people to assess your performance and tendencies to see how you fit into their system. Goals may focus on getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Or they want to see you perform in different scenarios that more closely resemble what you will see at the next level. Again, having your coach on board with those expectations will help the growth process.
 
VALUES
Many times, sports teams will create a list of values as a way to deliver expectations of behaviors. It could be a blend of how they expect you to play on the court but also could be focused on character, citizenship and performance in the classroom.
 
As an individual, you have your own value system that probably stems from your family relationships. As you get older and mature, you may become more aware of other factors that impact you as well. If babies are ever at odds, seek clarity from coaches, family members and mentors in your life. Most often conflict stems from a breakdown in communication. 
 
In recruiting, values become a more critical aspect of the Impact Grid as it can not only determine where you will go, but potentially the health of the relationship and the impact the experience has on you and your team. Chasing a school or program that isn’t a good fit based upon Values is a recipe for disaster. You see this in high profile travel teams where what they value due to shoe deals, sponsors and media may end up being different than what they say during the recruiting process.
 
BREAKING DOWN THE IMPACT GRID
 
The Goal Achiever aka, the Me Player
The stat padder. The person who after a game, win or lose, is checking their stats to see how THEY did. They bring value in productivity but if they negatively impact team chemistry, it won’t be long until others are “trying to get theirs” and losses will naturally follow.
 
The Good Person aka, The Energy Player or The Glue Guy
These people are the WE over ME players. They bring energy and make the team better not necessarily in measurable ways that show up in the box score. But in how they carry themselves on and off the court. Heck, they may only play in mop up time, but the fans know who they are, and your starters are excited for them to get their time to shine. They are the loose ball diving, charge taking, high five giving, extra pass making on the bench jumping, incredible teammates!
 
The Lost aka, The Complainer
They are down and they won’t be happy until everyone else is down. Struggling to perform in practice or in games, they typically try to make themselves feel better by blaming someone else for their struggles. Their focus is on the coach and complain to everyone about how the coach is ruining the team, while ignoring their own lack of effort, outside work and negative attitude. They require a “come to Jesus” meeting to them move from this quadrant or they need to move on from the team.
 
The Person of Impact aka, The Player Coach or The Captain
They get it done on the stat sheet and in the locker room. When coaches talk about their contributions, it’s more than stats as they focus on leadership and character as well. In basketball, historically, the Point Guard position is normally where the player would most commonly be found but the game has changed, as have the players.  
 
I purposely did not use the title The Superstar because their importance can be inflated by fans and media based upon Performance and their struggle in the Values area may not be evident to those outside the locker room. Performance can be in the little things that you don't find in the typical box score or may not be in games as much as it is in practice. But the impact on winning is felt by everyone and when you need a bucket, you trust them to either get the bucket or to set up the person who will. In sports, the true sports fan knows the Person of Impact when they see them.
 
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Sports is a tremendous venue to see the power of teamwork and leadership. Performance can be easier to see and measure but you gain clarity on the impact of values, the closer you get to the team. Developing more Impact Players doesn’t mean you have more stars, but you have more players who are starring in their roles. The more Impact Players you have on your team improves the odds of reaching a championship, on the hardwood or in life, Beyond Today.