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By Herb Greenberg, Ph.D.
Knicks' GM Isiah Thomas was just brought in around New Year's Eve and already he has made sweeping changes. Don Chaney is a distant memory, and some feel Lenny Wilkens might not be the coach at the start of next season. It seems coaches and managers in this town are lucky to ever see year two of their contract, and someone like Joe Torre is simply defying all the odds.
In the world of New York sports, teams are throwing away countless millions by constantly churning through coaches and grasping at straws. Remember Rich Kotite?
How do teams know if a coach can succeed in pressure-packed New York? What do they look for and how do they know if someone has that certain something that it takes to win? And what sort of personality traits should they avoid? Hiring strong leadership is an involved process and all too quickly GMs seem content to bring on someone, anyone, with a good track record.
In sports, business, whatever your pursuit, real leadership qualities are what make the difference. Having assessed over 100 coaches and managers on the college and professional level, our company has some insights into the qualities that distinguish the very best coaches from the rest of the pack. Self-discipline, competitiveness and a positive sense of one's self are the qualities that make up what we call "the psychology of the winner."
Self-discipline is the inner motivation, the built-in taskmaster, that drives someone to do what must be done. A self-disciplined coach will learn or develop a new technique or system, and ensure that his team practices until it becomes second nature. Coaches with this quality can guide players with an even hand and not fly off the handle when things have gone wrong. What must the team have thought when Bobby Valentine wore disguises in the dugout? Mike Keenan, on the other hand, was able to pound his technique so firmly into the Rangers that they finally broke the curse and won the Cup in '94.
Competitiveness is probably the most overused word in the language of sports. Of course, every coach wants his team to win, but competitiveness is really more than a want. It is the burning desire to win whatever the cost, to take whatever risks are necessary and never quit on your players. A truly competitive coach never throws in the towel on his team. Do we need to recount the biggest blown lead in Giants history, that 39-38 loss to the 49ers? Did the team give up because Jim Fassel couldn't motivate his team when things got tough? Not surprisingly, Fassel is unemployed. But Davey Johnson never let the 1986 Mets give up, even when the odds were stacked against them.
Self-esteem helps a coach deal with missed shots, set-backs and slumps. If a coach has a solid sense of self-esteem, failure will be viewed as just part of the game. Lacking self-esteem, failure can bring a coach's career to a grinding halt. If all the criticism hurled your way causes you to doubt yourself, how are the players supposed to feel? If a coach cannot convey the confidence necessary to have his players believe in him, how can they work as a team?
Another element necessary is ego-drive, or the desire to persuade others. Can the coach sell his vision to players, management and the fans and get them to believe?
The best coaches are also tough and assertive, while also having the empathy needed to sense and develop the potential, motivations and abilities of their players. Players thrive on routine, so steadiness and consistency are a must. A coach without player loyalty can ruin any team's chances. Just ask former Isles' coach Peter Laviolette.
New York has the ability to magnify any flaw and coaches who lack any of these qualities won't last long. The magnifying glass placed over a coach can shed more light on a situation and, if you're not careful, start a fire.
Herb Greenberg, Ph.D. is the founder & CEO of Caliper, a personality assessment and consulting firm in Princeton NJ.
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