Every January I select a topic to focus my reading for the upcoming year. All of the non-fiction books I read in that year share a common theme.

In years past I have selected topics such as History, Politics, Leadership, Travel and Behavioral Economics for example. The topic not only frames my non-fiction reading for the year, but also podcasts and documentaries I consume.

This year my topic of choice is Wellness. My plan is to focus my reading on health, diet, exercise and all things related to Wellness.

I make a booklist, search for some podcasts and other resources at the beginning of the year and get as knowledgeable as I can on that subject during the calendar year.

My first read of 2020 is How To Make Disease Disappear by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. In it Dr. Chatterjee details his frustration with treating chronic illness in the traditional medical style – diagnose the illness and prescribe a drug to manage it.

 

The early years of Dr. Chatterjee’s practice were marked with patients who did not get better. They suffered from the same diseases the meds were intended to “cure” as well as the harmful side effects of prescription drugs.

Growing tired of not healing sick patients, Dr. Chatterjee pivoted. He did his own research into areas he was not taught in medical school. He traced the root cause of most chronic illness and began to prescribe lifestyle interventions for his patients. His results were career-changing. Patients got better!

Dr. Chatterjee shares four “pillars” for how to both prevent disease in the first place and make it disappear – Relax, Eat, Move, Sleep.

He details the science behind it all and suggests actionable steps to help people manage stress, eat better, move more and get better sleep. He shares stories of patients who cured their own chronic illnesses by following these interventions.

Relating it to Coaching

The outline of the book inspired me to think of teams, many of whom are “diseased.” Something is lacking that is leading to losing. The coach treats the symptoms rather than making the interventions necessary to make sure diseased players are eradicated.

In the upcoming series How To Make Losing Disappear, I will share tips using these four domains like Dr. Chatterjee’s pillars – Athleticism, Skill, Competitiveness and Basketball Intelligence.

Whether you lose a game (micro) or have a losing program (macro) there are gaps between you and your opponents in one or more of these domains.

Ask yourself:

  • Are we deficient in athleticism?

  • Are we deficient in skill?

  • Are we deficient in competitiveness?

  • Are we deficient in Basketball Intelligence?

The answer may be all of the above! Your job as a coach is to close these gaps. Shrink the deficiencies and turn them into advantages.

You may have an abundance in two or three of these domains, but a deficiency in one of them is setting your ceiling. Whatever the case may be, these four domains can shape practices, offseason programs, complimentary activities such as strength and conditioning regimens and player evaluation.

Stay tuned as we will share four posts in the coming weeks which will take a deeper dive into each of these domains and offer tips for ridding your program of the disease of losing.

Continue the conversation:

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Any questions, contact us! Happy to talk hoops any time day or night!