Russell Rule #10: Discipline, Delegation and Decision-making

Russell Rule # 10: Discipline, Delegation and Decision-making

Russ begins with three sub-rules:

1. All choices must be made with a clear and attainable goal in mind.

2. Delegating authority in decision-making can only take place successfully when there is absolute confidence in those to whom power is given. (Coach to team members, team members to one another)

3. Think everything through first, and then stick your neck out. (Risk being wrong rather than being tentative.)

As in several of the chapters, this one was very much about something that's not immediately evident in the title—trust. Red always trusted his players. One reason why he could afford to do so (in addition to their obvious capabilities) was that his process for selecting them in the first place had been very clear. Did they already know about winning? Did they understand that winning was expected, not just hoped for? Could they be trusted to demonstrate curiosity, team ego, active listening skills, integrity, selflessness? Could they be entrusted with the responsibility that Red would thrust upon them?

Red's trust in his players extended to their post-playing careers. That is why he drafted Sam Jones (whom virtually no one had ever heard of), sight unseen, upon the recommendation of a former Celtic, Bones
McKinney. Red drafted Cowens as a forward, and it was Russell who told him Cowens could become a great center, because "the guys he can't guard won't be able to guard him." Red trusted Russ' instincts, and the rest is history.

Russ uses his final season, 1968-69, several times throughout the book.  One of the most interesting is in this chapter, and it involves the antecedents for the fourth game of the Lakers' series, won by Sam Jones
in the last second to prevent an insurmountable Lakers' 3-1 lead in a series the Celtics went on to win.

Toward the end of that season, Coach Russell knew his creaking team, fourth in their division, needed every edge they could get to have a shot at a title. According to Russ, he analyzed the games played that season and was astounded that they had lost 17 games by 3 points or fewer. Realizing they lacked a finishing kick, he set out to insert a last-second shot play into their arsenal. But he couldn't think of a non-predictable one, so he turned to the team. Havlicek and Sigfried recalled a play they had used at Ohio State, and Russ liked the concept. They started practicing the play; and, the first time they tried it, they took 27 seconds to run it.

(Editorial observation: It should be noted that Havlicek and Siegfried claim to have begun practicing the play on their own when Russ missed a practice.)

Anyway, the mission became clear, and meticulous teamwork was at the heart of it. "Each individual player had to find in himself what he could do to cut the time of that play down. He had to take into account what his teammates did—to be mindful of every move made by everyone else"—because a triple pick was involved. They finally whittled the time down to four seconds.

Russ says they ran that play in the playoffs and won five games (including that critical fourth one against the Lakers) by three points or fewer. (Again, there are some historical discrepancies, as some teammates claim that game 4 was the first time they had ever tried the play in live game action.)

The essence of teamwork, says Russ, is discipline. There was constant tension between what people wanted for themselves and what they wanted for the team. He frequently refers to Sam Jones in this chapter, and here he notes that "Sam found it uncomfortable to step up to the dominating talent he had, but he did that because he knew it was called for. Scoring a ton of points per se was never his objective, only to give what he knew he had to supply for us to win."

Russ once again alludes to the difference between "outside-in" and "inside-out" leadership referenced in Russell Rule #4. The "outside-in" leader incorporates the perspectives of others in decision-making. The
"inside-out' leader makes his own decision and basically tries to bludgeon the rest of the world into accepting it. He feels that this concept was possibly the primary difference between Wilt Chamberlain and himself. Wilt believed he was "The Man" and "The Man" could single-handedly make his team win. Russ opted for a more egalitarian philosophy. (Gee, I wonder how that worked out for each of them.)