The Point Guard Analogy

I'm a huge college basketball fan and I frequently relate leadership or other workplace challenges to hoops. As I thought about leadership topics to write about, it occurred to me that a team's point guard, in many ways, can be a metaphor for leadership. The "floor general" must demonstrate leadership qualities that parallel those that an organizational leader must possess.



I've heard many coaches extolling the qualities of a particularly gifted point guard by referring to some of the following attributes:

• Able to see the entire floor


• Able to see two or three passes ahead of the next pass


• Able to create and get others involved

Adept at communicating verbally and non-verbally with teammates

A steady hand when the pressure is on

These attributes readily translate to some of the qualities an organizational leader must possess to be effective.



Effective organizational leaders must be able to see the entire floor - the big picture and all of its moving pieces. By seeing several passes ahead, the leader is a visionary. She knows the ultimate destination and can visualize the passes (steps) necessary to get there. She is able to create or foster creativity within the workplace and do so collaboratively. The leader is a strong communicator and ensures effective two-way communication up and down the organization. She is also the individual that others look to in difficult times to provide direction and a calming influence. She provides the focus in the face of adversity.



An effective point guard has confidence in his abilities, understands who he is as a player, his strengths and weaknesses, and earns the confidence of each of his teammates. Similarly, the organizational leader must display a quiet confidence and must understand herself in order to be a good leader. Kouzes and Posner talk about how, as a leader, you must "first know who you are" in order to act with integrity.

Whether the analogy is basketball player or orchestra conductor, many parallels can be drawn to the work of the leader. By thoughfully examining the analogy, the leader can reflect on her style and identify opportunities to improve her leadership qualities.

The best point guard just wins - it's not about them personally - it's about the team and its success. The best organizational leaders have this same perspective!

Here is an article that takes a different spin on leadership using basketball as the analogy:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3616/is_199606/ai_n8740493/