"The most important player on the team, is the team itself." - Coach Ben Johnson
Chris Heim, MBA
Experienced CEO | Board Director | Growth Accelerator | Traction EOS | Servant Leader | Technology Excellence | Family-Owned | Private Equity
Last week, I was honored to spend a couple of hours with Coach Ben Johnson, University of Minnesota Men’s Basketball Coach, and to attend a tour of the Athletes Village, hosted by The Prouty Project .
Coach Johnson is an inspiring coach, a fantastic person, and a true leader of leaders – and the youngest basketball head coach in the Big 10. Tasked with rebuilding the U of M’s program amid new NCAA NIL (name/image/likeness) and Transfer Portal rules, Coach Johnson is centered with humble confidence for the journey ahead.
It was a pleasure to get to know Ben. He is wise beyond his years in coaching strategy, but even more so in leadership principles and team perspectives. I summarized some of Ben’s key insights and I’m invigorated by how well they apply to the business world.
My key takeaways:
CHARACTER INSIGHTS
1)??“Team Fit” vs. “Talent.” When surveying prospects, talent is important, but team-fit is the highest priority. There is no room on Coach Johnson’s team for a “me first” mindset. Coach emphasized: “The best player on the team, is the team itself.”
2)??Who you are off the court, matters more than who you are on the court. Coach explained: “I learn a lot about the player’s character by monitoring their social media posts.” As he recruits players, Coach is assessing how a player will interact with the team off the court, in the locker room, and around campus.
3)??Having an “all in” mindset. When Coach Johnson recruits players, it is with the realization that there are dozens of colleges these players can pursue. Ben takes culture seriously and seeks players that genuinely want to be part of the U of M program. It’s not just about basketball, it’s about the team.
LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS
1)?????Assistant Coaches. The role of head coach is important, but to Coach Johnson, the most important role is that of the assistant coaches. The assistant coaches possess the ability to bond with the players and create an amazing team chemistry. It’s a different interaction for the head coach and that is OK.
2)?????Team Captains. No matter what the head coach or assistant coaches say, what matters most is how the team captains rally the team. What gets said among the players when the coaches aren’t present is what sets the tone for the team. Great captains build each other up versus tearing each other down.
3)?????Head Coach. Coach explained: “The head coach is there for the players, not the other way around. I get my office work done beforehand. Once I am with the team, I need to be clear-headed and 100% focused on them.” Coach has learned the value of carving out think-time separate from coach-time.
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4)?????Handling Criticism. Being a “two-newspaper town,” there is no shortage of criticism toward coaches or players. While negative press gets media attention, Coach Johnson’s words will resonate with leaders far and wide: “Don’t criticize the players. You can criticize the head coach all you want, but not the players.”
5)?????Team Culture. There are a lot of distractions. The players can now make NIL money and the Transfer Portal enables moving between teams. Coach Ben emphasized the importance of having a phenomenal program and a phenomenal culture… an environment that’s more important than the surrounding noise.
6)?????6th man. The best players are the starters, right? This is not the mindset in Coach Johnson’s program. The starting team is a strategic decision for each game. What’s most important is having amazing “6th ?man” players that are ready to enter the game whenever the team needs them. That’s how you win games.
7)?????Total program. This is about more than basketball. Yes, they want to put together a winning team and coach has his vision set on a National Championship someday. But the U of M basketball program has its focus on more than that. The Athletes Village is all about supporting the person, not just the athlete – coaching sports and life.
Special thanks to:
-? Jeff Prouty for inviting me to this program.
-? Randy Handel for an amazing tour of the U of M facilities.
Senior Financial Advisor, Senior Portfolio Advisor
2 年Great experience, thank you Jeff Prouty and The Prouty Project!