Lessons Observed from a Former NBA Coach

Several years ago, as a young teenager, I worked as a ball boy for the Utah Jazz. The coach of the team for most of that time was the great Hall of Famer, Jerry Sloan. He is known for being a tough, hardnosed, tenacious NBA player, and later coach. One of his players, the great John Stockton, said during his Hall of Fame speech in September of 2009, “Coach Sloan is what the NBA should be about. Committed to teammates, the coaches, your organization, and the game of basketball. He’s never asked for credit, in fact he avoids it. He has created an environment for his teams to win and they do.” His personality and style were respected and admired by players and coaches throughout the league. “You better bring your hard hat and lunch pail” he would often say to his team and the media when referring to upcoming games that he knew would be tough and physical. The Utah Jazz teams during the late 1980s to early 2000s personified their coach. They worked hard, played smart, were tough as nails, and had incredible success over many years.

Coach Sloan is what the NBA should be about. Committed to teammates, the coaches, your organization, and the game of basketball. He’s never asked for credit, in fact he avoids it. He has created an environment for his teams to win and they do
John Stockton

Some of my responsibilities as a ball boy included helping in the locker room of the opposing teams. I found it both interesting and amusing to listen to some of the opposing players, coaches, and trainers speak about preparing to play the Jazz. It was obvious from their conversations with each other that they knew they were in for a battle that night, which some players welcomed and others dreaded.

The NBA has changed so much since those days. 25 to 30 years ago, it was more of a physical game filled with lots of hard screens, low post plays, and more aggressive defenses. Most players and teams took pride in showing up every game to play and play well.

This blue-collar sports mentality that I experienced as a young man with Coach Sloan and the Utah Jazz has stayed with me over the years. I appreciate how many of these same principles and characteristics of effort, toughness, loyalty, and execution can be applied in business and everyday life.

For over 15 years now, I have watched firsthand as so many here at Med One show up every day with their hard hats and lunch pails ready to work and battle. So many go above and beyond to help and serve our customers, vendors, business partners and each other. I am grateful to be part of the Med One team. Med One is very good at what we do: providing solutions for customers to ensure they have the equipment they need, when they need it. We have been industry leaders in vendor finance programs because of our creative solutions that are designed specifically for your hospital and healthcare customers. Call us so we can help you have more options. We are ready to work with you!

Let’s go. Let’s get something done.