RIGHT LEADERSHIP ACTION

 Here is the latest from The Competitive Buddha, the fourth Noble Eightfold Traits of a Buddha leader.

The fourth aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Action and it relates to ethical conduct, right morality and the ability to live harmoniously with others. According to Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, right action happens when you do all things in mindfulness. When you do, you act in harmony with respecting life, you demonstrate generosity giving to and serving others, you promote social justice, you avoid sexual misconduct and exploitation and you pay attention to what you consume, choosing healthful foods and avoiding harmful intoxicants, and refraining from lying.

As it relates to sports, Right Action could influence your athletes’ behavior such as showboating or trash talking or disrupting the practice or game. These common behaviors are a sign of disrespect for others. Buddhism teaches compassion and kindness and these actions are the antithesis of such teaching. Phil Jackson, using Right Action in his coaching, has stated how the right action of compassion with his teams proved to be one of the foundational building blocks of his championship teams.

Right Action is also about being honest. It applies to a coach’s integrity and character. If you say you’ll do something, you do it even when no one is looking. Cheating is about doing all the illegal things that break the rules to gain advantage. Intentional fouls are harmful and disrespectful to an opponent. As a coach, be sure your athletes know this about their behavior.

Whining or creating unnecessary drama are destructive actions. Also, being selfish is an action contrary to the Buddhist teaching of generosity. Right Action for a coach and athlete is about giving and serving your team in a selfless way. When a coach asks an athlete to assume a certain role, it is accepted as a way to serve the team, to do whatever it takes to make the team better. See the story about Andre Igoudala in the section on Selflessness in Part Two.

As coaches and athletes, we also want to pay strict attention to our diet. Many professional and collegiate programs that I serve, have hired nutritional experts to help everyone take the right action with regard to health and wellness. Many of my teams have fruitful, helpful discussions leading to big changes in alcohol consumption, especially during season. The deleterious effects of alcohol consumption on leadership and performance are well documented.

Finally, we all are benefiting from social activism such as the “me too” movement as it relates to sexual misconduct with athletes. The Buddhist teaching about Right Action continues to help all of us address these current issues in sports. This issue is relevant to an entire sports organization.