04/03/2026
𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐞 𝐢𝐧, 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡
During our oldest grandson’s youth basketball game, the team huddled during a timeout. Our youngest grandson, not even in kindergarten yet, listened intently as their Dad coached the team, reminding them of the strategies they’d learned in practice and encouraging them to have fun.
Whether getting a rebound or inbounding from the sidelines, they pushed the ball down the court, looking for a teammate to set up the best shot. They stayed ready to get the loose ball and put it back up in the basket.
𝐀𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐝, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝, “𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.”
Fast forward: watching our youngest grandson play basketball in his league, it was clear he had taken his Dad’s coaching for his brother’s team to heart. He confidently dribbled the ball down the court, looking for the open player to make the pass.
At his age, the game is still about learning fundamentals. But it was clear that he had developed skill and judgment by watching his brother and putting in the work himself.
𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬. They are not called up to work on major projects, offered the opportunity to deliver a high-visibility presentation, or tapped on the shoulder to mentor a colleague through a challenging assignment.
Yet they have quietly observed and developed their knowledge, skills, and capabilities through opportunities within the organization and through volunteer efforts. They confidently and competently show up in every situation.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥, “𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧, 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡.”
Leaving a capable team member on the bench too long breeds restlessness. And restlessness can quietly turn into disengagement or into a resignation you did not see coming.
𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭.
A leader who knows their team members’ full capabilities can shift and proactively engage everyone to utilize their diverse talents at different times.
Doing so shows you care for individuals, pay attention to the unspoken, and can build a high-performing team.
Want help tapping into your team’s talent? Let’s talk. https://lnkd.in/efDhSqMu