"Are They Smart?"

 I had a work colleague years ago - lets all him "Bill" - who would always ask me "Is she (or he) smart?" when I talked about interviewing and potentially hiring a new member for our team. There was never any other question - only the query about the person's smarts. 

What I found irritating about this was the lack of definition as to what constituted "smart" in the mind of Bill. And why the infatuation with the candidate's IQ when there was so much more to consider related to their candidacy?

I lost touch with Bill but his question has stuck with me these many years. Every time I think about it, I feel the same feelings of irritation and impatience. 

What are the key things that you want to know when considering candidates for an open position? For me, the biggest driver is the fit with the team. Does their prowess fill a gap on the team and/or provide a complement to another team member's talents?

I also look for a sustained record of results that meet and, hopefully, exceed prior work expectations. Is the candidate proven in their ability to succeed? Have they succeeded in a variety of work environments? Do they have proven success in other endeavors in their life?

Finally - and this is very much an intangible - are they someone that you want to work with? Do they challenge convention? Do they make the team better? Are they fun to be around? Do they motivate me and other team members through the way they think and act and achieve?

Yes, "are they smart?" is an important question. It just isn't the question. 

How the Best Sport Ever Translates to Business

March.

The name of the month alone immediately sparks the associated word of "Madness" for millions of fans and non-fans alike in the U.S.

Every March during the Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, rabid fans become even more anxious, casual fans become involved ones, and those who profess to know little about the sport begin studying the vagaries of a tournament five seed matchup with a 12 seed. Each year, over 70 million people fill out a March Madness bracket, attempting to correctly pick winners-and-losers in the 68-team field.

The game that engenders this behavior is college basketball. And while it's not the most popular sport in the U.S. - in viewership or participation - it is the game that holds our rapt attention over three weeks in mid-March through early April.

For me, it's three weeks that run the emotional gamut of joy to nervousness to exultation to crushing disappointment. My team is the Kansas Jayhawks and my month of March revolves around when they play in the tournament, who they play against and the outcome of this win-or-go-home tournament format.

The allure of this month runs much deeper than erratic fan behavior--it also showcases the game that I believe is the best in all of sports. Five teammates on the floor at one time, all with roles to play but all with the skill to dribble, cut, pass, block, rebound and, of course, shoot. There are also the hustle plays--helping on defense, diving for a loose ball, screening a defender so that a teammate can score. Then there are the bench players--those who may play only a couple of minutes in a game but whose contributions, during those few minutes, can swing a close contest one way or the other. These bench players are also the ones who practice every day, cheer on their teammates who are on the floor during a game and whose support and buy-in are crucial to a culture of winning.

Basketball is the ultimate team sport. Everyone has a role yet everyone must display the requisite skills mentioned in the prior paragraph. It's a game where everyone is expected to defend and move and assist. While some do these things better than others, everyone is expected to contribute across all facets of the game.

If this description sounds familiar, it's because basketball is - I believe - a metaphor for how we conduct business. We are part of a team and while each member of the team has a specific role and/or task, there typically is an expectation of one's ability to do more and/or to be supportive of others on the team so that the team may "score the ball" (to borrow a well-used broadcast announcing term.)

Just like moving without the ball is an important part of basketball, so too is the ability to observe and anticipate issues in the workplace.

It's no coincidence that some of the best basketball coaches ever in the collegiate game have had their coaching philosophies adopted by businesses and organizations.

John Wooden, who won 10 national championships at UCLA, had a Pyramid of Success for his team that's been featured on Showtime's Billions. His coaching sayings (e.g., "It's amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit") have found their way into the workplace. Mike Krzyzewski, the soon-to-retire coach at Duke and lauded as the greatest ever, has written four books on leadership and has the Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics at Duke.

Basketball - a game invented by a Canadian doctor on an American college campus - has evolved. Players are faster, stronger and more athletic; coaches use data and analytics to prepare a game plan and assess their own team. 

This evolution of the game has not changed that, at its core, basketball is still a game played by a team, all of whom must have skill across a variety of disciplines, who must practice, and who must buy in to what can be achieved together versus as individuals. Ultimately, it's a game where supporting teammates and staff creates success, which leads to the pursuit of the ultimate prize--a national championship.

Enjoy these final two weeks of March Madness. When watching the games, consider how much this team sport mirrors what each of us does with our teams in the workplace.