The Rebound: Six Executive Plays for Anticipation, Ownership, and Enabling Success

Quote of the Quarter: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” – Lao Tzu

As leaders, we often find ourselves going to bed in problem-solving mode—our minds wrestling with strategic dead ends, market shifts, and complex solutions. Yet sometimes the clarity we seek does not come from a new framework, but from an old, foundational wisdom.

Recently, while grappling with a critical strategy challenge, I woke up with the voice of my high school basketball coach—a voice I had not heard in over 30 years—ringing loud and clear in my head:

“Strong. Anticipate where the ball is going to bounce off the rim and be there to get that rebound. Get the ball and protect it with your body. Get low and get large. Look for Lori. Pass it and she will take it down the court. If she has a shot, she will take it; if not, she will pass it to you. If you have a shot, take it. If not, look for Kim. Set a pick, get Kim open. Kim will take the shot.”

This simple instruction, delivered decades ago, is a masterclass in executive leadership. It outlines a playbook for success that is as relevant in the boardroom as it was on the court.

Here are the six principles every executive needs, drawn directly from the coach’s core instruction:

1. Anticipate the Bounce: Vision & Foresight

• The Principle: A leader must operate with forward vision, looking beyond the immediate quarter to anticipate future market trends, potential disruption, or critical opportunities.
• The Application: Do not just react to current performance reports. Proactively map out the trajectory of your industry, technology, and talent pool. Position your organization for success before the market dictates the next move.

2. Jump Up and Get the Rebound: Initiative & Ownership

• The Principle: Take decisive and swift action to secure critical resources or seize a defining opportunity.
• The Application: When a strategic task, a challenging market segment, or a talent gap “bounces” your way, know when to take swift, logical, unambiguous action.

3. Get Low and Get Large: Strategic Positioning & Presence

• The Principle: Use your influence, authority, and presence to protect and shield your most valuable assets: your team and their goals/targets.
• The Application: A leader must stand strong (or “get larger”) to buffer the team from external distractions, corporate friction, or unnecessary criticism, enabling them to focus on high-value work. Strategic positioning ensures you maintain control over the narrative and the execution environment.

4. Pass the Ball to the Guard: Delegation & Trust

• The Principle: Know your team’s specialized strengths and delegate tasks to the person best equipped to execute the next, specific step.
• The Application: Recognize that you do not have to carry the project through every phase. Trust your domain experts (the Lori’s and Kim’s of your organization) to handle their specialized roles and move the team toward the goal more efficiently than you could alone.

5. Look for the Shot: Readiness & Reciprocity

• The Principle: Always be prepared to execute when the opportunity presents itself, understanding that trust is a foundational, two-way street.
• The Application: Maintain a level of preparedness and performance that ensures your team trusts you to deliver when they set you up for success. High-functioning teamwork relies on this mutual reliance and support where everyone is ready to step into the primary role.

6. Set a Pick, Get Kim Open: Selflessness & Enabling Others

• The Principle: Put the team’s victory ahead of your own ego and actively work to enable the success of others.
• The Application: The ultimate leadership move is sacrificing a personal spotlight (“setting a pick”) to clear the path for a teammate who is in a better position to achieve the immediate goal. A great leader is a servant leader who creates an environment where others can thrive and shine, ensuring the organization wins.

The Enduring Legacy
Perhaps you are wrestling with a significant strategy today and need these executive reminders. Our ultimate goal, even in the most challenging environments, is not just to win the quarter, but to enable sustained, long-term success through others.

Great leaders are developers of talent. Let us strive to be the kind of leaders whose words of coaching and empowerment are so clear and impactful that, 30+ years from now, someone we influenced will recall them and pull them out to help them when they need them most.

In this season, let us be grateful for the leaders and coaches who poured into us, preparing us for the roles we hold today, and for the teams who collaborate with us every day to help us all be great.

Keep Forging Connections!
Sincerely,

Johanna Jones
President & CEO

About Information Technology Senior Management Forum

Since 1996, Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) has been dedicated to prepare professionals for executive roles in technology, to impact organizational innovation and growth. We do this by developing and nurturing these dynamic leaders through enrichment of the mind, body and soul. With a half-million new computer-related jobs expected by 2028, ITSMF is committed to increasing the number of qualified professionals for these positions. For more information about ITSMF, visit itsmfleaders.org.