Hard Court Lesson #1

During the winter of 1891, Dr. James Naismith of Springfield, Massachusetts invented the indoor game of basketball using a tattered old peach basket as a hoop.

It was created for the purpose of providing a preoccupation to a group of youth that could be played indoors and serve as an "athletic distraction".

When Naismith developed the game, it originally had 13 rules however, as the "athletic distraction" evolved, the tattered peach basket was replaced with an orange rim and the rule book that contained the13 rules grew as thick as an old Yellow Pages phone book.

In keeping with the spirit of the game’s origin (13 original rules), I thought it fitting to share 13 Specatcular Hard Court Leadership Lessons with you in the coming weeks starting with this post.

These lessons are meant to increase your awareness and broaden your understanding of what the act of leadership is all about.

The hope is that you'll see beyond the basketball references and look to see how these lessons can be practically applied in your own life.

My desire is that they'll serve as the foundation to help you become a more reliable and effective leader and move you from the bench into the starting line-up!

I'd appreciate it if you took the time to comment, feedback is both welcomed and encouraged.

Check out the video below for Hard Court Lesson #1

Thanks!

You Don't Need To Be A Point Guard To Be A Leader



See you on the court!

Bringing It All Together

You're probably not too shocked to hear me say that the game of basketball is much more than fast break dunks, slick no-look passes and the type of fancy dribbling that would make you think the ball was on a string.

In addition to all the great leadership lessons I've highlighted through Hard Court Lessons in the past, basketball also is a great way to bring people together.

Case in point, I turn to my man - Michael Evans of Full Court Peace.

In 2006, Michael went to Belfast, Northern Ireland with the goal of forming a travel basketball team out of a select group of Catholic and Protestant teenagers in the city’s segregated public school system.

Despite the violent conflict waging between Catholics and Protestants who were on opposite sides of "the wall", Michael recruited an equal number of players from each side of the divided community.

After some time, and not without controversy, these two groups came together as one team, which was later named the Belfast Blazers.

The shared excitement for the game helped to foster unity and lasting friendships among the players and allowed them to “communicate their feelings through basketball.”

A New Project

Michael and Full Court Peace have now turned their attention to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and intend on using basketball as not only a way to unify but also give young people a safe way to pass the time.

The drugs and killings that take place in Juárez have given it the reputation of being the most violent city in the world with thousands of unsolved murders taking place every year.

I was honored to have Michael join HCL Radio to share his incredible story as well as let us in on how we can help become involved through the simple act of shooting free throws.

Check it out!



Full Court Peace’s mission is to use team basketball to cultivate and inspire enduring friendships between teenagers from rivaling communities in war-torn regions of the world.

Click here to listen to my conversation with Mike.

HCL Radio - Where developing leaders is more than just a game!

See you on the court!