Confessions of an Executive Producer

passion is no ordinary word

At the expense of sounding like a proud parent, my daughter Eliza is a pretty good athlete. She also likes to compete. And, she plays exceptionally hard when focused.

A few years back, she expressed enthusiasm for learning to play tennis. We encouraged it. It's a great individual sport and you can play it your whole life. She took lessons, participated in a weekly clinic and played in a league. She started to get good. 

This year her school offered team sports as an extracurricular activity. She played basketball in the fall and is playing volleyball this winter. It was a lot of activity so we dumped the tennis league. Eliza still kept with it by taking lessons on Saturdays with her sister, Ruby. 

After a recent lesson, Eliza told me she didn't want to play tennis anymore. I knew from watching her last couple lessons her interest was waning. So did her coach. We talked about it on the car ride home. I hoped between Dana and me, we could encourage her to keep playing. She invested a lot of time and continues to improve.  

Before going to bed, we talked about a girl Eliza use to played doubles with. She isn't as good an athlete. She's not as fast or has better form. What she did do is work and practice hard. She is currently one of the top seeds in her age group. At the moment, Eliza can't beat her although if she applied herself very soon she could. This tale didn't inspire my daughter. 

We then talked about Ruby. Ruby isn't a natural player like Eliza but the girl's got big time heart. Every time out there she is hustling and focused with a smile on her face. She may not become a great tennis player but it won't be for lack of effort. I thought if Eliza could see her own potential was only limited by her passion, she'd stick it out. It wasn't resonating. I stopped pushing. 

You can't make someone love something even if they can excel at it. But if they love something they'll make the most with what they have. It made me realize, great passion without great talent is inspirational, great talent without great passion is heart breaking

Talent and passion. I'd rather have both but if I had to choose one, I'll take passion every time. 

the secret

Over the last few weeks my oldest and closest friend, David Bochner, would call daily to share with me excerpts from the book he was reading. The book is called "The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy". 

David and I grew up together. We loved the NBA like no other sports league. This was in the 70's and 80's before it became fashionable. At that time the league was considered too black with too many drugs and not enough defense. We didn't care. We loved hoops and the crazy characters that populated it. 

One of my strongest childhood memories is staying up until 2 am to watch the tape delayed broadcast of game six of the Lakers/Sixers 1980 world championship. Yes, tape delayed. The telecast didn't start until 11:35 following the local news. For those of you scoring at home, that is two hours after the final buzzer had sounded. That night a 20 year old Magic Johnson jumped center for an injured Kareem Abdul Jabbar and led the Lakers to the title. One of the greatest individual efforts of all time. It was well worth the sleep deprivation.

After Christmas I broke down and bought myself a Kindle. This book was my first download. When I told David he said now you'll know The Secret. Naturally I asked what Secret. He said "Just read it".

In chapter 2, Bill Simmons describes a conversation he had with Isiah Thomas while playing blackjack besides a topless pool in Vegas. It was a bit awkward as Simmons had blasted Isiah numerous times in his ESPN column. To gain his confidence, Simmons asked Isiah about The Secret. The Secret was something Isiah alluded to in an interview years before when asked to describe the success of the back to back champion Detroit Pistons. Impressed that Simmons referenced this obscure tidbit, Isiah shared with him The Secret.

"The Secret of basketball is that it's not about basketball". 

Being a top team equates to being loaded with talented players but what is it that separates you from the other elite squards. The great teams of the 80's (Celtics, Lakers, Pistons) won because they understood The Secret. Each individual knew their roles, they liked each other and ignored statistics except for the only one that matters, wins. The most important reason of all was their best player made everyone else on the team better. He'd sacrifice his own pay, fame and personal accomplishments for the benefit of the whole. Bill Russell was the personification of this principle. Eleven titles in thirteen years. He regularly defeated WIlt Chamberlin, the greatest statistical player ever, on his way to those championships. The difference was Russell knew The Secret. WIlt did not. 

The Secret doesn't only apply to basketball and team sports. It is also works for any business. Just as a sports franchise ultimate accomplishment is to win a championship, every company should set a similar goal. Once you determine what that is, it is up to the leadership to bring out the best in each individual toward achieving it. The staff needs to know why they do what they do and how their contribution makes a difference. They need to believe their efforts will be rewarded, recognized and appreciated. If you can do this without myopically focusing on the bottom line but rather on the grander vision, your company will be more than financially successful. It will leave a legacy not only for the company but also for the industry.

Whoever would think my love of NBA basketball would provide such useful business advice. And, from the most unlikely of sources, Isiah Thomas. Inspiration can comes from the strangest of places. Now if I could only get help on my mid range jumper. 

larry bird and the x-man

A friend of mine was critiquing my blog. One of the issue he brought up was too much transparency. It wasn't honesty he had a problem with. He questioned whether I was giving away too much. As if informing competitors and clients on my views of the future or how I conduct business will give them an edge. Or maybe just take away mine. There were other points he made I agreed with but not this one. It reminded me of a story.

    

In 1985 Xavier McDaniel was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Supersonics. After his rookie season he went back to his hometown for the summer. His friends all wanted the inside story of the NBA. Who was real deal and who wasn't. One of them declared that Boston Celtic All-Star and reigning league MVP, Larry Bird, wasn't all that. He was hyped because he was white. He looked to the X-man for confirmation. X just shook his head and told about his first encounter against the Celtics.

It was a regular season game in Seattle. It was a close game throughout. Late into the 4th quarter, the Celtics were up by one. Seattle had possession and with :08 seconds left on the game clock, X hits a shot from the corner over Larry Bird putting the Sonics up by one. 

The Celtics immediately called timeout. The hometown crowd is cheering wildly as both teams walk to their respective benches. As Bird passes by McDaniel, he says "Too much time". 

After the timeout, the Celtics set up at half court to inbound the ball. The players begin jockeying for position trying to gain whatever advantage they can. As the ref begins to hand his teammate the ball, Bird whispers in the rookie's ear. "I'm getting a double screen up top. I'm going right around it. Getting the ball in the corner. Taking one dribble then nailing the game winner....and there ain't nothing you can do about it." Just then, the ref blew the whistle. Play began. And, that's exactly what Bird did. 

It didn't matter that he gave away the play. He believed that if his team executed to perfection they'd succeed. Knowing someone's strategy doesn't make it simple to stop or easy emulate. You still need to have the tools, the skills and the confidence. Bird had all of those. And what if in this meaningless regular season game Xman had stopped him? I suspect it would've made Bird and his team better. They would've figured out why their plan failed and found another route to success. In the end, it wasn't about what others do, it's about you do. 

I hope someone takes whatever I write about and applies it. That they say NO to unfair business practices or wants to innovate their business model or seeks to out communications with peers. I believe competition makes us better. Sharing our strategies makes the industry stronger. And, all of us benefit. 

season opener

Last night the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Tennessee Titans to open the NFL season. If baseball is deemed America's pastime then football is America's present time.

I don't know the size of the audience that tuned into last nights game or what the average viewership is for a Sunday but I can tell you it's a lot. More importantly, its viewers are captivated and diverse. They represent a true cross section of America. It's young and old. Black and white. Rich and poor. Urban and rural. And yes, male and female. I proudly join the ranks of the masses that is darn glad to have it back.

I love watching football even though I'm a Redskin fan, please withhold any comments now that I've revealed that fact. There is another reason I love the NFL other than the game itself. I believe it may be the single biggest reason TV commercials work and will continue to exist. I had to bring this around to business somehow.

As articles appear daily declaring the death of the thirty second spot along comes the NFL spitting in it's face. Spots are in decline but as long as there are live events there will always be broadcast advertising. Screw technology. The Giants-Redskins are locking horns this weekend. I won't DVR that. Who wants to wait until Monday night to get the final score? For me, "Mad Men" is also can't miss TV. I like talking about it at the lunch table on Monday but if I was out on a Sunday night, whatever. I'll watch it at my convenience. But, not Skins-Giants. It's live or nothing. 

This applies to all the big sports event. If your an NFL fan every week is a must win making it a big event. This same theory holds true for the Oscars, American Idol Final, and any other live water cooler happening. I'm a big believer the future is about creating one's own viewing experiences. Programming is tailored to your own personal schedule. It's been happening for years and will be engrained into the culture of the next generation. No matter what technology creates, there is no substitute for in the moment real human drama. A massive, devout and live captive audience is a scare commodity. Advertisers will always pay a premium for that access and fall over one another to fill the gaps between time outs.

So, welcome back NFL. My Sundays, our business and everyone other than my wife and kids are thankful its September.  

the bird has flown

Yesterday Mark "The Bird" Fidrych was found dead at his home in Massachusetts of an apparent accident. For those of you not familiar with him, he was the Rookie of the Year for the Detroit Tigers in 1976 but a helluva lot more than that.

In his one and only full season in the majors, he amused crowds with his antics on the diamond. He would talk to the baseball. Talk to himself. Pace around the infield to psyche himself up. His nickname was derived from his gangly physical resemblance to the Sesame Street character Big Bird. He brought personality charisma and excitement to what many consider to be a dull sport.

His magical season occurred in the year of the bicentential. This was poetic, in the way baseball can often be, as he represented the epitome of the American dream.

He went to spring training as non-roster player, meaning he was invited to compete but not expected to make the team. Against the odds he was brought up to the majors as a long reliever. When an injury occurred to one of the starters, he took over their spot in the rotation. He went on to have a memorable season and became a national phenomon. The following season he got injured early and despite several comback attempts never regained his earlier form. In 1983 he retired for good and started a trucking company in his hometown. It was as if he made a deal with the devil to live out his dream for one fleeting moment.

If all of us could be fortunate enough to live our fantasy and do so with the infectious joy and appreciation as "The Bird", the world would be a much better place.