Back in 2011, I took over a basketball program in East Texas.
Before I arrived, several people told me the same thing.
“You’ve got a really good team.”
Then they would add:
“And the best player is special.”
They were right.
My point guard, Brandon Robbins, was one of the best players in East Texas.
Talented.
Creative.
Competitive.
The kind of player every coach hopes to have.
What impressed me most, though, wasn’t his talent.
It was what happened around him.
We changed how we played. We sped the game up. We wanted to create more opportunities in transition and allow our players to play freely.
He thrived.
The awards followed.
The recognition followed.
The wins followed.
But that’s not what I remember most.
I remember that there was always enough left for everyone else.
Other players got better.
Other players felt valued.
Other players enjoyed playing with him.
That’s harder than it sounds.
The best leaders create a feeling of abundance.
And that’s why I’ve come to believe one of the most revealing leadership questions is this:
Do other good players want to play with you?
Recently, a close friend of mine announced his retirement as Superintendent of the Oxford School District.
Bradley Roberson is one of the most talented leaders I’ve ever been around.
He has led in a variety of roles for the district.
Teacher.
Coach.
Administrator.
Community leader.
And he was gifted in all of them.
But I don’t think that’s what made him exceptional.
What made him exceptional was that other exceptional people wanted to be on his team.
As I look back on his tenure, that’s what stands out.
Not one leader.
A cast.
A collection of talented people aligned around a shared mission of serving kids and families.
In fact, some of the most impressive people in the organization left leadership positions elsewhere to join his team.
That says something.
Great leaders don’t just have answers.
They attract people who can make the answers better.
They create environments where talented people can contribute, challenge, improve, and share ownership.
To me, that’s leadership.
Many leaders want to be the smartest person in the room.
The best leaders build rooms full of smart people.
Many leaders want credit.
The best leaders create opportunities for others to share it.
Many leaders want followers.
The best leaders attract contributors.
That’s why the question matters.
Not:
“Do people work for me?”
But:
“Do other good players want to play with me?”
Ask yourself a few questions:
When talented people interact with me, do they leave feeling bigger or smaller?
Do I create scarcity or abundance?
Do I make room for other people’s ideas?
Do I celebrate other people’s success as much as my own?
Would the most talented people I know want to join my team?
Leadership is not measured by how many people follow you.
It’s measured by the quality of people who willingly choose to stand beside you.
Recently, I joined my friend Rob Ramseyer on the Beyond Coaching Podcast.
We discussed ideas very similar to these.
Leadership.
Culture.
Team building.
Long-term flourishing.
We also discussed a book I’m currently reading that Rob recommended to me: Flourish by Daniel Coyle.
I’ll link both below.
The strongest leaders I’ve known were never threatened by other talented people.
They were magnets for them.
And that’s a much better goal.
Be the kind of player that other good players want to play with.
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