The sports world is full of excitement these days, as fascinating NBA finals series has unfolded between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Even casual basketball fans find their niche in a dramatic series, where a combination of stars, great coaches, rising forces, foreign heroes and underdogs is being told in every single game.
There is a lot we can learn from this series and apply to daily life. Here are three things:
1) Lead by Example – “The LeBron James Effect”
LeBron James is undeniably the best basketball player in the world right now. He is also  one of the most experienced players in crucial situations and the teams clear leader. His Cleveland Cavaliers have almost no postseason experience much less the Finals, but they find inspiration in their leader, who leads with his relentless style of play on the basketball court.
Every manager can learn from this – when you have to not only lead employees but to teach and train them, one of the best ways to do it is by example. That will not only increase employee and team productivity, but also help managers inspect and monitor the learning and growing process.
2) Think Outside the Box – Steve Kerr’s Brilliant Tactic Move
We see a clash of inexperienced but very smart coaches. Both David Blatt (Cleveland) and Steve Kerr (Golden State) are basketball masterminds, and some analysts have compared the Series to a chess match.
In the first 3 games, David Blatt had the upper hand, when his Cavs managed to drastically reduce the efficiency of the best offensive team in the world. That is when Kerr had to think outside the box, and the bold and unconventional change in lineup he made in the fourth game changed the tide of the series, and helped his team even the series at 2 apiece.
When it comes to training and managing, we should be strict and consistent..) There will be times however, where we have to change our state of mind, make the adjustments needed for us to complete our missions.  We always have to remember that we are dealing with people, and every person is unique – so from time to time, we need to think differently in order to reach those we are trying to teach and help improve.
3) Specialization – Know Your Role in the Team for Increased Effectiveness
Besides LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers is not a team loaded with basketball talent, but the team finds its way to success.  One of the secrets for this success is the “role management” – every player (not named LeBron James) has a clear role, knows what he have to do and what he is not allowed to do.
The takeaway from that is to isolate the main “role” for each employee, raise his efficiency in one specific area by helping him be “automatic” with his other assignments. Â It can be done by writing a guide, or using apps like “Walkme”, which makes the daily assignments almost everyone has to do deal with much easier and less intimidating.
Read aboutÂ
employee development plan examples to gain more tools to achive your goals.
