Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Like any Mormon boy who was raised going to a church with an indoor gymnasium, I love playing basketball. It was one of the focuses of my teenage years and it taught me many life lessons. One of the great things about basketball is you can learn so much about the character and personality of individuals that are on the court.
A manager would have an easier decision about whom to hire by watching them play a pick-up basketball game compared to a sit-down interview. The only problem is, this would require each person you interview to have fundamental basketball skills. Many would look like confused rodeo clowns if you pushed them onto the hardwood. I digress… Many articles could be written about the personal human characteristics which are manifested by playing team basketball. However, I would like to discuss a theory that comes from my time playing hundreds of church ball games.
Most people find it beneficial and appropriate to be a good teammate by showing good sportsmanship to the other players on their team. This is why you see many high-fives, pointing at one another after a big play, and even yelling “GOOD JOB!” after a teammate makes a good play. Cheering after a play is culturally normal. The loudest part of a game is when a player makes a basket. In my years of playing basketball, whenever I try to shout my congratulations to a teammate immediately after his big play, all the other noise, coming from players, coaches, and the crowd, would drown my voice out. But if I waited 5 seconds for the noise to dissipate then my praise was more likely to be heard.
This same principle is applied in Latter-day Saint leadership. Imagine sitting through a sacrament meeting talk that is downright remarkable. After the meeting, you—along with others—approach the speaker and thank him or her for the remarkable job. This is fine and very encouraging. I can think of many times I have given a talk and people have thanked me after the meeting. It feels good and encourages me the next time I am asked to speak.
However, there is something magical that happens when we delay the recognition. The pause should be much longer than the basketball analogy of 5 seconds—more like 5 hours or 5 days. When someone accomplishes something great and their leader calls them (or writes a letter) a few days after, the praise is received with more impact; it is heard more clearly because the noise of other superficial acknowledgements have diminished.
The next time you are impressed by the performance of someone in your life, especially someone you lead, give them a quick pat on the back and then delay your words of recognition until it will be heard more clearly.
Good advice! Thanks! A five-hour or five-day delay…
On the other hand, I can think of some people whose performance in a basketball game would disqualify them from being hired, regardless of their technical qualifications and regardless of their basketball qualifications. The desire to win above all else, even in church basketball, sometimes exhibits decidely un-admirable traits.
You hit the nail on the head. That is why pick-up basketball is the best indicator of how someone will perform on a job. If they are driven to win how to they display that? Do they get mad and push the team out of the way to win? Do they keep their cool and rally the team around them to get their input?
I used to play basketball once a week with those I worked with at my last job. Many times I would see someone lose their cool and think, "I recognize you, I see you around the office many times."
My recent post The Power of Delayed Recognition
I understand where you're coming from.
But I'm still troubled by the basketball approach — I know your posting was about delayed recognition, not basketball — but I think somehow that basketball approaches near gospel status in some branches in the American church, and we assume that good basketball players are good men and good Latter-day Saints (with the obverse assumption that poor basketball players are, well, you see where I'm going). Like an excellent student from Spain who would perform poorly on an English-language SAT, I'm a convert to the church who never learned to play basketball, and it would be unfair and unkind for the normal Mormon boys who were raised going to a church with an indoor gym to try to learn, and make judgments, about my character and personality by watching me on the basketball court (or my decision to avoid the basketball court). You recognized this by writing, "this would require each person you interview to have fundamental basketball skills" to which I would add and a similar relish for the game.
If someone wants to know more about me, I hope they'll take the interview approach! Or watch (or better, work with) me in something I enjoy doing… 🙂
I understand what are saying. The basketball analogy was simply a random thought I had to introduce the main subject. I definitely wouldn't use it as my only method to learn more about someone. My thought was simply that sports in general manifest personality traits you may not see otherwise because it involves so much emotion.
My recent post The Power of Delayed Recognition
Thanks!
C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that the spontaneous reaction of a man was a better indicator of his true character than his practiced reactions. I think you're thinking in the same way.
So True.
In my bishopric, we had a standing assignment to send a weekly “thank you” to someone in the ward. People felt acknowledged and loved when a member of the bishopric sent a note, thanking them for their efforts with the Primary Program, the Elders Quorum lesson, or the way someone showed love to a fussy child in the nursery. It also taught us to be paying a little more attention to the various “corners of of the ward” that often go unnoticed.
My mission president – who was somewhat younger and the best basketball player in the mission – would say that he could tell more about a missionary by playing 10 minutes of basketball with them then by sitting in a two hour interview with them.
On the recognition piece, and again back to my mission, I will never forget a talk given in the MTC by Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds in regards to what she called the 'One Week Principle'. In it she described exactly the principle you have highlighted here in your post. She suggested that a compliment is that much more powerful if you wait and give it. Her recommendation was to thank them immediately and then wait a week at which time you could thank/compliment the person. She suggested that at this time we should be specific in the praise we give. Why was it a good play, why did the talk help, etc.
Wow! Very interesting.
I'll have to check out Siser Edmunds background and learn more about her.
Thanks for the comment.
My recent post The Power of Delayed Recognition