𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺

There’s a certain smell that says, “We’ve gone too far.” In my story, it wasn’t just a metaphorical smell but the actual aroma of Bengay cream wafting through a basketball court filled with overworked youth coaches who’ve just learned about lactic acid the hard way.

The day before, we had been on the court from morning till midnight, playing endless skirmishes. Winners stayed, losers rested, and everyone pushed themselves to the brink. By the next morning, we weren’t beyond exhausted, we were human anatomy diagrams of pain.

Coach Davidesko, the mastermind behind this masochistic masterpiece, gathered us to explain: “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳. 𝘈𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳: 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.”

Coach Davidesko’s message applies far beyond the basketball court. Leaders in any field must balance ambition with empathy, especially when managing people who are giving their all:

🏀 Recognize the “Invisible Strain”:
Just as lactic acid builds up in muscles, stress and burnout accumulate in teams. A sharp leader recognizes when their team needs a break, even if they’re too focused or proud to ask for one. Pushing too hard without rest leads to diminishing returns and, eventually, disengagement or harm.

🏀 Pace for Sustainable Growth:
Winning streaks and high performance are exhilarating, but they can only be sustained if your team has the stamina to keep going. The season is long and to win the championship you must be strategic about when to push and when to pause. Focus on getting there together, healthy and whole.

🏀 Apply Empathy:
From the sidelines, it’s easy to see the big picture, set lofty goals, and call the shots. But without a healthy team, you can’t win. It is vital to be with a hand on the pulse to understand their experiences and adjust your expectations to match their current individual capacity. Leaders must develop an awareness of warning signs of burnout, offer support, and create space for recovery. Remember, not everyone processes stress or effort the same way. While some may thrive others may crumble.

🏀 Make the Lesson Stick: The best leaders, like Coach Davidesko, create unforgettable leadership lessons through experiences that imprint those lessons for life. Whether it’s a simulation, a case study, or a carefully designed challenge, create moments that resonate and build “muscle memory” for your team.