Okay, so I wanted to dive into Mike D’Antoni’s coaching style, you know, the whole “seven seconds or less” thing. I figured, why not try and apply some of those principles to something completely different, like, say, managing a small team at work?
First, I started by watching a bunch of old Suns games. Man, those were fun to watch! Nash was just slingin’ the ball all over the place. I really paid attention to the spacing, the constant motion, and how quickly they made decisions.
Next, I thought about how to translate that into my team’s workflow. We’re not exactly running fast breaks, but I realized we could definitely speed things up and be more proactive. So, I identified a few key areas where we were getting bogged down.
- Meetings were a killer. Super long and unproductive.
- Decision-making took forever. Lots of back-and-forth emails.
- Information wasn’t flowing freely. People were holding onto stuff.
Then, I decided to experiment. I started small, with just one project. I told my team we were going to try a “seven seconds or less” approach to decision-making. Basically, if we couldn’t make a decision quickly, we’d just move on and revisit it later. The goal was to keep the momentum going.
I also cut down meeting times drastically. Instead of hour-long meetings, we did 15-minute stand-ups. Just a quick check-in to see what everyone was working on and if they needed any help. This really helped to keep everyone on the same page.
To improve information flow, I encouraged everyone to be more open and transparent. We started using a shared document where everyone could see what everyone else was working on. This eliminated a lot of unnecessary emails and questions.
The results? Honestly, it was pretty surprising. We finished the project way ahead of schedule. People were more engaged and seemed to be enjoying their work more. There was less stress and more collaboration.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Some people were hesitant at first. They felt like they needed more time to make decisions. But, as they saw the benefits, they came around. And we adjusted the approach as needed. For example, some decisions just require more time and thought, and that’s okay.
Key Takeaways:
- Speed up Decision-Making: Don’t overthink everything. Make quick decisions and keep moving.
- Streamline Communication: Cut down on meetings and emails. Use shared documents to keep everyone informed.
- Embrace Transparency: Encourage open communication and collaboration.
- Be Flexible: Adjust your approach as needed. What works for one project might not work for another.
So, yeah, that’s how I tried to channel my inner Mike D’Antoni at work. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it showed me that even seemingly unrelated ideas can be applied in unexpected ways. And it made work a lot more fun, too!
