Intercom Insights

Pat Riley is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever. For 13 consecutive years, he posted 50-plus wins per season, which is unprecedented in the NBA.  His unheard of 137 playoff victories put him way out of reach of the second place coach in this category, who had 99 playoff victories. I knew he had to be cool when they named a video game after him - Pat Riley Basketball.  

What makes him so successful? When he was coaching the Lakers, one interviewer gave this explanation: ''He convinces his players to sacrifice.'' No player ever comes to practice late. Most are an hour early.

Riley's players were hungry to be the best. One way they showed their commitment was to arrive at every practice on time, dressed out and ready to play. There's no way they were going to waste Riley's time or look bad in his eyes. 

Many people today don't seem to get that connection. They can't see that arriving late for work hurts the owner's business. When they casually show up for a meeting 15 minutes late, they don't think of the other people's time that they wasted while waiting on them. 

Why is punctuality important? In the case of a club meeting it shows that I care enough for other people to not make them wait on me. In a sport or school class, it shows I care enough about what I'm doing to want to excel. 

The Lakers hungered after excellence so much that they arrived an hour early for practices. They were hungry to win and didn't want to hurt their team or disrespect coach Riley. This week I want to do a better job of getting where I'm supposed to be on time, even ahead of schedule. It's a great way to show that I care. 

Discussion Questions

1) Why do you think the Lakers would arrive at practices on time, often one hour early?
2) How would it hurt the team if some of them got slack and started arriving ten or fifteen minutes late?
3) How do you feel when people don't pick you up on time or make you wait for them at meetings?
4) What are some situations where teens are often late?
5) What causes us to be late and how can we remedy the problem?
6) Let's each write down a meeting or appointment that we'll try to arrive at early this week.

**********************

Other Illustrations

Old Faithful is not the biggest geyser, nor does it reach the greatest height. Nevertheless it is by far the most popular geyser. Its popularity is due mainly to its regularity and dependability. You can count on Old Faithful. 

Nothing in life can take the place of faithfulness and dependability. It is one of the greatest virtues. Brilliance, genius, competence – all are subservient to the quality of faithfulness. (Wallace Friday)