The KJRs: TTP

By John R. Nocero & Katherine J. Pryor

“Choose always the way that seems best, however rough it may be, and custom will soon render it easy and agreeable.”

-- Pythagoras

I’m sitting at my kitchen table discussing moving into a new position with a friend of mine. Not me. Her. I’m not ready yet. She felt she is. She has basic foundational knowledge of a specific disease process, but none of the discernable skills for the next position. Instead of hearing my thoughts on how she could improve and get ready, such as polishing up your soft skills, she got bitter. She moved away from her and onto others.

 “Well, she didn’t have training. She got it. I didn’t.”

 “I have been at my organization. longer, so it should be me.”

 What came across initially as enthusiasm and goal-oriented focus ended in awkward whining. Looking deeper, I can’t understand why moaning about her circumstances was the go-to. She has been in her current role only about a year. She still needs more knowledge and resources. She needs to show upward progressions every three to four years, gaining massive experience, and positioning herself as a value-added thought leader. It’s evolution in full force.

 It’s trusting the process (TTP), which has gained relevance throughout pop culture.

 One would be hard-pressed to find a mantra through sports history that is more synonymous with a team-building identity than TTP is to professional basketball’s Philadelphia 76ers. As Hamm (2018) outlined, the Sixers hired Sam Hinkie as their general manager five years ago. In theory, the general manager’s job is to make significant moves to put the best team on the floor this year. Hinkie took a radically different approach, one informally dubbed, “the process.” He believed you needed a good foundation to win a title. If you weren’t close to contending, your job was building that foundation no matter what. Hinkie built a roster of solid young players that would be good, two or three years, from now. What this meant in practice, was that the Sixers would suck until they got good. One year, they only won 10 out of 82 games, close to the worst record ever. Remember, at the time, that team was marginal, gonna be great years from now but not now. Well, the owners gave up patience and slowly pushed him out of the door.

 I’m condensing a lot of this, but a funny thing happened – all those players, who were going to be good two or three years from now, started developing. Today, the Sixers are young and exciting. If the playoffs started today, they’d be in. A year or two from now, barring a big rash of catastrophic injuries or inept trades, this team will be an absolute monster.

 So, what does this mean to you, or my friend I referenced? It means that TTP is never over. It doesn’t mean you suck forever. If rebuilding your jump shot is a process, you continue that process even when the shot if fixed. You never stop TTP. Don’t take your dreams to the grave. Keep improving and moving forward with the idea that your process will improve with time and focus. 

 If there is something you want to achieve, you must develop a process to accomplish it and then consistently follow up.

 Stop waiting for the perfect time, or a mystical sign, or someone's permission. Even if you initially fail, the journey itself will provide valuable learning experiences. Stop focusing on what others do or do not do, their path is not yours. Stop playing it safe and acting as if you'll live forever. You won't. Make the most of your time while you still can.

 #TTP

#wepickedus

#J&K