Coming Back from a "Tambak": Coach Chot Reyes Shares Leadership Principles

"How do you come back from a 'tambak'?" Even in retirement from coaching in the game, Coach Chot Reyes is still using the game of basketball as a means to coach on how to bounce back from the uncertainties we are facing on a daily basis.

Saturday's ninth episode of Bully By the Horn by Benny Benitez took a different path as Benny Benitez and Migs Bustos discussed the other side of one of the greatest minds in Philippine Basketball that we are now seeing in the social media. It's still about basketball but with more to offer in life. In the latter part of the discussion, eight-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) champion coach Chot Reyes shared how to come back from a big deficit not just in basketball but more importantly, in life.

"It's simple. Just follow the ABC" Reyes began by revealing his ABC of bouncing back

A- Awareness 

B- Bit by Bit

C- Creativity

D- Discipline of Execution

The first step towards bouncing back is having the awareness of your current situation. As Reyes explained, "You have to be aware that you're down big" The former national team coach added the need for adjustments before going to the next step which is coming back "bit by bit". He noted, "In basketball, there's no such thing as a 20-point play. You have to understand that bit by bit, you will recover (from the deficit) slowly," He used past experiences with Gilas Pilipinas as examples on how to recover from a big hole bit by bit. He then asked, "What are the different things that you can do that your opponents aren't expecting from you?" For Reyes, that's where creativity comes into play. The last step is about maintaining the discipline of execution. "A lot of times, when we're within striking distance (in games), we get excited, and then that's where we make mistakes then losing the game. That's where you need to have that discipline of execution. When you're close to the opponents, make sure you're disciplined enough to follow through and execute" That's how one can come back from a "tambak" the Chot Reyes way.

The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TV5 also revealed what model he has been using in coaching his clients as he owns Coachcom PH, an executive and coaching company that specializes in helping develop coaching aspects not just in sports but in other fields of life. Incidentally, it's an acronym which is also a word that has long been associated with Reyes and his stint with Gilas Pilipinas: HEART or "Puso" in Filipino

For Reyes, "The foundation of all great leadership is physical health. Think about it: if you're always sick and you can't go to work, how can you lead?" He proceeded, "Science shows that (maintaining) good physical health promotes sharper mental activity and higher emotional intelligence" before revealing what the rest of the "HEART" model stands for. "The letter E of the HEART model is emotional intelligence.  The letter A is agility. R is resilience. And T is team leadership,"