CBE — Career Best Effort

When it comes to leadership in sports, Pat Riley stands out as one of the most influential figures, with a rich history as the Miami Heat’s President and the legendary coach of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. During that era, stars like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers, but it was Riley’s innovative approach to managing and motivating his players that left a lasting impact on both sports and organizational management.

One of Riley’s most valuable insights came from the CBE (Career Best Effort) program, which he developed after the Lakers’ disappointing loss in 1986. Although they were considered one of the best teams in the world, they failed to make it to the NBA Finals. Rather than dwell on the setback, Riley created a groundbreaking program that focused on each player’s individual improvement, with the goal of helping them reach their personal potential.

Here’s how the program worked: Riley gathered data on every player from their high school years to their performance in Lakers practices, analyzing their daily output. The aim was to set a realistic improvement goal for each player — just a one-percent increase. While seemingly small, this marginal gain compounded over time and significantly impacted both on-court performance and team spirit.

Two primary principles made this program exceptionally valuable:

Multi-Dimensional Measurement — Riley didn’t focus solely on points scored. He measured every impactful action on the court: turnovers, assists, drawn fouls, and overall game contributions. The belief was that if something could be measured, it should be, and everything counted.

Improvement Against Self — Each player was measured not against the stars of the team but against themselves. The tenth man on the roster had goals that reflected his own achievements and his role compared to peers in other teams. This created a clear, measurable, and personally challenging goal, fostering continuous improvement.

Though this sounds simple, even a marginal gain of one percent per player translated into a significant team boost, particularly over an 82-game NBA season. And the results spoke for themselves: the Lakers went on to win back-to-back championships — a feat that hadn’t been seen since 1969.

In today’s management world, as we approach performance evaluations and goal-setting discussions, these lessons feel more relevant than ever. Using quality data and detailed analysis is now a critical part of management, but Riley pioneered this approach three decades ago with the understanding that development plans should be personal. Just as on the basketball court, in the workplace, each person has a unique role and a path to personal growth — the key is creating an environment where everyone can strive for their own Career Best Effort.