As legend has it, early in Bill Russell’s career, he was getting pushed around the court. Red Auerbach called a time out and told him to go back in and “throw an elbow” at the offending player. Russell resisted and after the second time giving the direction, Auerbach said “you only have to do it once.” His point was that he had to demonstrate that he would stand up for himself and that he was willing to go to that measure to do so. Is the story true? I can’t confirm it, but I will give the benefit of the doubt. Auerbach and Russell delivered 11 championships in 13 years for the Boston Celtics, which is painful for me as a New York Knicks fan. 

This story came back to me in a conversation from a new, younger team member who was being pushed around professionally. Her officemate felt that her tenure with the organization, her age, and her relationship with their supervisor entitled her to act in a domineering manner. The young woman was at a loss for how to deal with the situation and then I remembered that, sometimes, sharp elbows can be a valuable tool in your toolbox. Proverbial sharp elbows, of course. So when might you want to bring out those elbows?

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