One of the most underrated qualities a leader can possess is the ability to adapt adeptly to unexpected situations they are unexpectedly thrust into.
Erik Spoelstra, then an assistant coach for the Miami Heat, found himself in precisely such a scenario during the 2005-06 season. When a video session was on the agenda, head coach Pat Riley suddenly turned to him and thrust him right into the spotlight.
“You go over every clip. Call out the players.‘You didn’t get back on defense.’ ‘You didn’t take the charge.’ There he was in front of the team for the first time,” Riley recounted in 2023, per Miami Herald.
Riley’s succession plan
Riley served as the Heat’s team president and head coach from 1995 to 2003, returning to the latter position in December 2005. However, as ‘The Godfather’ already approached his mid 60s, it was time to find a successor to continue the franchise’s success he had built so masterfully over the years. Fortunately, a suitable candidate was already within the organization
