SEE WHAT OTHERS CAN’T
This week March Madness came to a close as Baylor University earned the school’s first ever men’s basketball championship. It was of course a historic achievement, but especially impressive considering where this program was when head coach Scott Drew took over 18 years ago. To appreciate how far the program has come, you have to try and wrap your mind around where it’s been.
In the summer of 2003, Baylor’s program was rocked when a player was shot and killed by one of his teammates. The ensuing murder investigation uncovered a program in disarray - immersed in illegal and unethical behavior including gun issues, drug use, illegal payments to players, and multiple recruiting violations. The coach was fired and eventually banned from college basketball after encouraging other team members to mislead authorities. NCAA sanctions for lack of institutional control stopped just short of complete program termination, and in its aftermath the head coaching job at Baylor was seen by many, justifiably, as a death sentence. But when Scott Drew was hired soon after, it was clear he saw something different.
From the beginning Drew focused not on where the program was or where it had been, but where it could go and what it could become. His vision for building a winning program was evident in his opening press conference. “We came to win games at the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “We came with the chance to win a National Championship at Baylor University…It might take some time, but I can tell you this: our staff will have the work ethic, the integrity, and the commitment to success needed to get this program where it needs to go. Together we’re gonna build something here, and I can’t wait for the ride.”
Not surprisingly, Drew’s optimistic vision was immediately put to the test. The program suffered through four consecutive losing seasons to start his tenure, and, as Sports Illustrated put it, was “so devastated, humiliated and lost, so destitute for talent that [Drew] held open tryouts within the general student population” just to field a full roster. Despite those early struggles, though, the coach’s vision slowly and gradually started to take shape. Baylor won 20 games in 2008 and hasn’t looked back. They’ve won at least 18 games every season since then, a streak matched currently by only three other programs in the country. Today they are one of the elite programs in college basketball.
I know many of you reading here today are working, in one sense or another, to do what Scott Drew has done, to build something successful in your life – at work, at home, or maybe with a team of your own. It’s possible you’re just starting out in your pursuit, like Scott Drew was back in 2003, at square one. Maybe you’re where he is today, having made it to the top of the mountain and achieved the success you envisioned for yourself long ago. Most likely you’re somewhere in between, on that long road between the reality of where it began and your vision for where it could go and what it could become. No matter where you are in the process, I hope you’ll be encouraged today by Scott Drew’s vision, his leadership, and his story. Here are three simple yet important takeaways from his journey…
1) See what others can’t. Baylor’s gradual rise and eventual success on a national level was only possible because Coach Drew had a clear vision for his team, even at its historically humble beginning. Most experts and pundits probably chuckled at the young coach’s opening press conference. Heck, some Baylor fans probably chuckled. But while most people dismissed him as naïve or unrealistic, Drew was focused on something he truly believed was possible. For him, and for each of us, that ability – to see what others can’t – is usually the first step in doing something awesome. You might as well accept that there will be plenty of critics and haters, plenty of people chuckling at your naïve or unrealistic vision. Tune them out, like Coach Drew did, and do the work it takes each day to make that dream a reality.
2) Keep the vision alive. To me, the most impressive part of Scott Drew’s journey to the top is the time it took him to get there. In a world enamored with instant gratification and immediate success, 18 years is an eternity. And while the quick and easy way is our preference, it's important to accept that some things in life can only be done the long, slow, hard way. How many times would it have been easy for Coach Drew to accept that his vision would never become reality? And yet he chose - over and over again - to persevere. You have to believe his arrival at the summit was only sweeter because of the long, winding journey it took to get there. Your arrival will be, too.
3) Enjoy the ride. Baylor’s National Championship has put Scott Drew’s team, his coaching journey, and his leadership style under a microscope. What it’s revealed is a program that embraces what Drew calls “a culture of joy,” one built from the inside-out and driven by faith and family. It’s a reflection of the unrelenting positivity he’s led with since he laid out his vision for the program 18 years ago, and the driving force behind his work every day since. College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla said of Drew, “Optimism, with him, is like breathing.” So should it be – so must it be – with each of us, struggling and striving and persevering on our own journey to build something awesome. Embrace the journey, lead with optimism, and enjoy the ride.