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 In the modern workplace there may be no more important skill than the ability to focus amidst distraction, whether that workplace be an office, a classroom, or even the NBA hardwoods.
Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd has long been known as one of the best floor leaders in the NBA, and being able to focus and carry out a gameplan while nine other players are swarming around him has been one of the keys to his success.
“The big thing is you have to focus on the gameplan,” Kidd tells game on. “You want to make sure you’re getting everybody involved, but you also want to get a feel for who’s got it going and make sure you keep feeding them the ball. Even then, you have to make sure everybody feels involved or the gameplan will break down.”
In basketball, as in life, there are things that can distract players and prevent them from performing at their best. Whether it’s the opposing team’s fans, a disagreement with another player, or even something happening off the court, distractions can prevent players from carrying out their assigned task. When that happens, Kidd steps in.
“If someone isn’t in the flow with the team they kind of stand out,” he explains. “You can tell when one person isn’t following the gameplan. I try to take them aside and tell them to look for the ball, let them know I’m going to look for them on the next play, just so that person can feel like they’re a part of the team.”
No matter what your work environment, there will always be distractions trying to keep you from performing at your best. Now more than ever, text messages, phone calls, email and many other distractions threaten to affect your job performance. This is why the game on curriculum has a strong element to help develop this essential skill in our clients.
Students at all levels need to know how to tune out distracting classmates and those other competing factors as so they can pay attention to their teachers and gather the information they need to be successful in school. Corporate executives need to be able to decide which of their pressing issues need to be dealt with first. Even All-Star athletes have to tune out distraction and focus on the task at hand.
Jason Kidd puts in hours of work to be able to execute his gameplan properly. There are practices, drills, walkthroughs, and tape-viewing sessions all designed to help him run the Dallas Mavericks’ offense at a high level. The goal at game on is to provide our teammates with precisely the same level of preparation for the similar challenges they will face in their own lives.
 | Bill Ingram - Communication CoachBill Ingram is currently developing the game on curriculum for use in public education settings, and also works with game on's NBA programming. Bill is co-founder of HOOPSWORLD, one of the top news agencies covering the NBA, and is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association. He's a regular guest on ESPN radio shows across the country and has been featured as an NBATV Insider for the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. |
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