Coaching a basketball team and running a startup: A lot in common

Once, my basketball coach told me that spectators watch the ball, whereas coaches watch the game. Coaching basketball players is a bit like running a startup. The founder of a startup must be aware of where the open spaces are in the industry of his or her choice. Similarly, basketball players must be aware of the open spaces in a basketball game.

The principle for a startup is that you do not look at the individual factors in a startup or just watch the obvious stuff like your home page, registered users or web Analytics reports. You have to sit back and oversee the whole process in totality while running a startup.

Now, some tips for succeeding in the game of basketball or running a startup:

1. Maintain Discipline and Focus
   Attitude is more important than skill in a startup or in a basketball team. The team members need to work hard and remain focused on their goals.

2. Be Organised and Prepared
   If you are not organised, your startup will not progress and your team will not improve. This is the same with Basketball. If you want to make a difference, always be prepared and organised.

3. Remember each member is an Individual
   Every position in basketball requires a focus on different skills, so each player’s growth has to be handled individually. Just as you set goals for a team in a startup, you need to set goals for individual employees as well.

4. Team game
   Basketball is a team sport and so is a startup. Even though a player’s individual development is important, the team’s goals & development is foremost.