I’m currently coaching my son’s 5th-grade basketball team.

And there’s one phrase I find myself repeating over and over:

“Make the simple pass.”

It’s a needed reminder because, deep down, every kid wants to shoot—not pass. And if he does pass, he’d prefer it be a flashy one that earns him an assist.

As a coach, that’s a problem.

Because our best scoring opportunities don’t come from highlight plays—they come after a string of boring, unmemorable passes. The kind that don’t show up in the box score. The kind no one claps for.

After a recent tournament (where we didn’t make nearly enough of those passes), it hit me:

Adults aren’t much different.

Or at least—I’m not.

I tell my players to value the simple pass. But there are plenty of times in my own life where I either:

• refuse to make it, or

• fail to make it consistently.

Call it pride. Call it impatience. Call it a lack of discipline.

Whatever the reason, the pattern is hard to ignore:

In just about every domain, the most effective teams are made up of people who never get tired of doing the simple, often invisible things well.

My 5th graders are learning that lesson.

And if I’m honest… so am I.

Before I leave you, a couple questions to consider:

1. What does the “simple pass” look like in your world right now?

2. Who do you know that does this exceptionally well?

Carry on fellow travelers, we’ll talk soon!