Larry Brown Changing a Culture

Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown hopes that giving his players and assistant coaches more responsibility within the team will prove to be beneficial from a leadership standpoint. He has given veteran players the opportunity to enforce rules and to discipline when needed. As for assistant coaches, Brown gives more freedom to coach, teach and give much valuable input. The following excerpts were taken from a recent Charlotte Observer article.

The idea: If you empower people – give them some say in how things work – they're accountable to each other, so things run more smoothly.

"The great teams I've been with all had leadership. The guys got along, and if I got a little crazy, they let me know it."

"I learned from coach (Dean) Smith, you don't always make hard-and-fast rules, you make suggestions," Brown said.

"He wants all of our input, wants to make sure if we see something on the court, (they correct it.) And that's a little bit different'' from last season, said assistant Phil Ford, a carryover from Vincent's staff.

I think it is important to understand that Coach Brown is not passing the responsibilities so that he has less work. Empowering people within your organization can be the single most powerful tool for a leader. The trust and respect that Brown is showing towards his coaching staff and players will pay huge dividends when it comes to effort and accountability. His players will be more willing to give their best regardless of the circumstances.