Welcome to the 149th edition of “InTouch”. As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit reply and let me know what you think.
Story of the Week: “Who Made the Assist?”
On a recent podcast hosted by Spyros Andrianos and Konstantinos Kintzios, MBA, I was struck by something that their guest, basketball great Panagiotis Yiannakis, said: “My aim is to build a team, not with the best players but with the players who will make the best team.”
Yiannakis helped Greece become European champions as both captain and coach. His words reminded me of UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden, who expected the player who scored to acknowledge the teammate who had made the assist. A small gesture, but one that recognised something the applause can make us forget: someone else had helped make that basket possible.
I have seen the same thing happen in organisations. There is often someone whose quiet and diligent preparation makes a colleague’s presentation shine, whilst the applause travels to the person “holding the ball” at the end. Yet all it takes is one sentence from the presenter, “This came to life thanks to Elena’s work,” to turn a personal win into a team win. Such recognition should also count when promotions and opportunities are being decided; people who help others succeed have even more to offer when they are given room to grow themselves.
Yiannakis asks us to look for the people who make the team better. Wooden reminds us to recognise them. The leaders who truly stand out do both and encourage their people to do the same.
Words of Wisdom
“Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.” Sam Walton
A Question to Ponder, dear friend.
Who made the assist that helped you score this week? Did you give them the credit they deserve?
