From the court to the conference room: Business lessons learned from coaching

Scott Bushkie

Guest Columnist

March 23, 2023

I just finished reading “Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide to Living Your Best Life” by Vernon Brundage Jr.

I’ve been coaching my kids’ basketball teams this year, and I was looking for an inspirational book to give our seventh-grade girls.

Brundage nailed it, with lessons that apply to teen sports as well as business.

Here are four highlights for me:

Take responsibility for your own outcomes
Half of this message is about owning your mistakes.

On the basketball court, that means you aren’t complaining about how no one is passing you the ball, or how the refs didn’t call a foul.

In business, it means being accountable for the decisions you make and the actions you take – and not blaming external factors for your failures.

Consider whether that “lazy” sales team or high turnover, for example, could stem from your own choices.

Owning your own outcomes is also about recognizing that your results are a reflection of the work you put in.

When you take responsibility for your own outcomes, you focus on what you can do to improve your performance and achieve your goals.

Hold that L
Hold that loss.

Brundage talks about playing basketball with his brother as a kid.

Every time he lost, he got frustrated and immediately called for a new game.

He wanted another shot and jumped right in without taking the time to reflect and adjust his approach.

There’s nothing wrong with a “give me another shot, let me try again” attitude.

We need to pick ourselves up after a failure and keep going.

But as basketball players, and as business owners, we also need the discipline to slow down, examine our game and strategize how to do better.

If you’re stretching yourself and striving for big things, there will absolutely be hiccups and misses along the way.

Reflecting on these missteps, perhaps with support from a coach or business peers, can lead to greater self-awareness and both personal and business growth.

Positive self-talk
At the seventh-grade level, I can’t tell you how many times a girl comes off the floor teary eyed and feeling deflated – saying “I’m awful. I can’t make any shots today.”

Like the old adage says – Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.

Positive self-talk isn’t just about boosting your confidence.

It can also help individuals develop a can-do mindset, which can lead to more constructive and productive decision-making – helping you make better decisions in high-pressure situations, such as negotiations or financial planning.

Or, it could be the difference between playing it safe at a plateau and making the bigger changes required to take your business to the next level.

Know when it’s time to hang it up
Finally, Brundage talks about knowing the difference between quitting because something is hard and quitting because it’s the right thing to do.

Of course, the seventh grade is not the time for quitting, unless the game is truly not fun.

But as we get older, we may use up the cartilage in our knees – literally and metaphorically.

Like any great player, we need the courage and the wisdom to know when it’s time to walk away.

As business owners, we need to think about “quitting” from several perspectives.

For example, is it time to step into a different role?

Perhaps stepping out of a client-delivery role would give you time to coach your team and scale the business.

Has the business grown past your skill set or your risk tolerance?

It takes real insight to recognize and acknowledge when you’re not the right person to grow the business any further.

Finally, is the work not energizing anymore?

Selling the business could be incredibly inspiring, giving you the gift of time and money to accomplish new meaningful goals.

Lessons from the court
At the end of the day, the lessons we learn on the court are lessons we can apply to many aspects of life.

Taking responsibility for our own outcomes, holding ourselves accountable and developing a positive mindset can all lead to greater success.

Finally, knowing when it’s time to let go of certain roles or projects can allow us to focus on areas where we can make the most impact.

Whether on the court or in the conference room, these lessons can help us achieve our goals and live our best lives.

Scott Bushkie is the founder and president of Cornerstone Business Services.