A recent addition to my podcast library is "Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais."
Gervais is a high-performance psychologist. His list of clients is impressive,
and it includes Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll.
Steve Kerr, Head Coach of the NBA's Golden State
Warriors and former player for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, was
Gervais most recent guest at the time of my
introduction to his podcast.
It was one of those "coincidental"
moments. Just a few days earlier someone asked me "if the B.C. Greens were
the Chicago Bulls which one would you be?" (It's a long story, but that is
what happened.)
"Steve
Kerr!" I said without hesitation. Well, after listening to Kerr talk
about his philosophy and process, it's a good answer. Kerr has won eight NBA
championships. Three as a coach, and five as a player. He's coached his
Warriors squad to four straight NBA Finals.
Leading through the issues
In politics, it is easy to get caught up in each
and every issue. There is always an issue-du-jour. It is incredibly easy to react
to one, and then the next, and the next, matching the level of outrage that
pours freely into the inbox.
But that is not helpful. Nor is it leadership.
So, how does someone like Kerr end up in the NBA
Finals so often? Establish a process, and then practice it.
No matter what Allen Iverson thought about practice, he was
wrong. It's not about the game. It's all about practice.
In the end, Kerr's teaching and his process is really
simple. First, identify the vision. Define the three or four values that are
the source of your inspiration.
For him, and his championship Warriors team, it is
joy. As he mentions in the podcast, if you watch his top player Steph Currie
play the game, joy flows from him like a kid on a playground.
For you, and your team, it could be anything. But I
like joy. Especially, in my line of work. It is so easy to be pulled down by
the weight of each and every issue.
Second, share the vision. Make sure everyone on the
team knows what the vision is and the values it is founded on.
Finally, and much to the chagrin of Allen
"No-Championship" Iverson, practice. Practice the vision. Every day,
in every thing you do. Practice.
Here is Pete Carroll's advice to Steve Kerr.
Find the four or five things that are most important to you in your life.
Define the values that you hold most dear, and then practice those things
everyday.
Good advice. Thanks Pete.
Adam Olsen is the Member of the Legislative
Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and the Islands
Born in Victoria, BC in 1976, Adam has lived,
worked and played his entire life on the Saanich Peninsula.
He is a member of
Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), where he
and his wife, Emily, are raising their two children, Silas and Ella.
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