In the midst of a crisis, how can organizational leaders weigh risk, and then do what they believe to be right for their institutions? It takes confidence, not hubris, not a sense of invincibility, but a belief in who your organization is and who you strive to be in order to communicate your truth to those impacted by the actions of your organization. My observation is that transparency rarely, if ever, loses, because transparency in communications reduces long-run institutional risk. I am...

For the past twenty summers, I have played pickup basketball with a group of guys at the local gym on Thursday evenings. Once a week, I take Aleve two hours prior to playing, warm-up, and then push through pain in my aching body to run up and down the court. There is a joy that comes with playing basketball that no other activity matches. The movement, the flow, the muscle memory, seeing lanes emerge on a fast break, hitting a shot in someone's face, the collision of bodies in the paint - it...

For as long as I can remember, mid-November brings with it not only the first cold winds and snow showers of winter, but the start of basketball season. For the 21st year in a row, I am deep in practice planning mode for my high school team, waiting to see how this year’s crop of players will grow into new roles, with evolved skill sets and new experiences. As I plan out the first week of practices post-Thanksgiving Break, I am tempted to install fun, fast-break drills in order to get the...