Blog Post #45, March 25, 2009

Someone Knows Something I Need to Know

Category: Research

                                                                Someone knows something I need to know,
                                                                Not a cousin, or sister, or brother.
                                                                And I know a thing that would help someone grow.
                                                                What a shame we don’t know one another.

The reason Ronald Gallimore and I co-wrote “You Haven’t Taught Until They Have Learned” is because we wanted to share, with the world, the teaching methodology of one of the most successful teachers of our time. We believed, of all the reasons for John Wooden’s success, his mastery of the art of teaching was the most responsible for it. In part, we were motivated by the fear, the secrets of John Wooden’s pedagogical skill would remain hidden with him in his retirement.

One of the chapters in the book is entitled, “It’s What You Learn After You Know It All That Counts The Most.” After interviewing Coach Wooden about this statement, it became clear to me, it implied that most of what I need to know about anything is located in the minds of others. As we have already learned, Coach Wooden practiced this principle by conducting his own research study, each off-season, on a particular facet of the game of basketball. He did this by soliciting information from other coaches, materials, and players. As a result and in time, he obtained deep subject knowledge and conclusions about all areas of the game.

Picking the brains of other coaches, is central to John Wooden’s definition of success which is, “The peace of mind which is a direct result of the self-satisfaction in knowing you have made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” Therefore, gathering information from others seems unconditionally imperative in the quest to reach my own potential because, without that external knowledge, I can only know a fraction of what I need to know.  Left to my own limited knowledge, there would be great risk that my conclusions would merely be unfounded assumptions. On the other hand, the more collective backup I have about a conclusion, the greater the probability that conclusion is true and will hold true.

Then, and only then, will I have taken a step in the direction of becoming my personal best. But I have done more than take a step in that direction; I have eliminated the possibility of having to take a step back. Those that fail to employ the minds of other knowledgeable people, fail to learn deeply. And shallow learning always results in the necessity for going back and relearning and reinventing the wheel.

But for one reason or another, many coaches and teachers respond to soliciting information from other coaches as if it were poison, especially if those coaches are peers, working in the same city or vicinity. It seems, they have counted the cost, and the cost of the admission of not knowing, to them, is higher than continuing in the safety of the status quo, pretending they know the game pretty well. 

Incidentally, these “pretenders” are the first to become mentors to other coaches. Ironically, those that have become “open books,” are less likely to volunteer information because they clearly and honestly don’t believe they know enough to be credible sources. If they dispense anything, it will be the conclusions from their deep studies and, even then, they are more likely to ask more questions than they answer because they have become life-long learners.

But the “pretenders” have counted the cost using the wrong equation. Using the correct one, they would discover, the cost of becoming a member of a group of learners, all with equal standing, is a small price to pay for the benefits that lie ahead. In their current state, they will remain secret and solo learners with slow progress, but in their collaborative state, they will eventually become what they are pretending to be—masters.

You are reading this blog post in the safety of your own room or office. It’s time to start contacting someone that knows more than you do, even (no, especially) if it is the coach of the cross-town rival. It’s time for a personal visit.

“Hello.”
“Coach Williams?”
“Yes, this is he.”
“This is Coach Smith at Central. How are you?”
“Great. Thank you. What can I do for you, Coach Smith?”
“I was wondering if you had some time next week to visit. For four seasons, I’ve admired your team defense. We just can’t seem to score against it. I wonder if you would share with me how it works and how you teach it.”
“If you think we have a good defense, so be it. But, actually, I believe it leaves a lot to be desired. But, if I can help you in any way, I’d be glad to. By the way, I’m very interested in that delay game you used last week against Morris. I like it much better than the one I’ve been using for twenty years. Shall we swap?”