Four Lessons Steve Kerr Taught Us About Leadership

Earlier this month at Sixth Street ’s 15th?annual offsite in Austin, Texas, I had the honor of sitting down with nine-time NBA Champion Steve Kerr for a conversation in front of our global team about lessons learned from Steve’s remarkable career.?

We’ve said this before but our offsite is a cultural touchstone on our firm calendar. It is our opportunity to come together as One Team and renew our commitment to excellence and accountability, share ideas, have each other’s backs, and get to the most impactful outcomes for our investors and our business.?

Steve Kerr knows better than most about what makes an effective team. Even to a casual sports fan, Steve’s resume is unreal. He is a nine-time NBA Champion and was named by the National Basketball Association (NBA) as one of the 15 greatest coaches in league history. This summer, Steve is heading to Paris as the Head Coach of the USA Basketball Men's National Team.

Steve credits a book called, The Inner Game of Tennis, by Tim Gallwey, given to him by Pete Carroll, the long-time coach of USC Trojans Football and the Seattle Seahawks , for changing his perspective on how to approach high performance.

If I had to pick just four valuable takeaways from our conversation:?

It’s the process.?To escape his habit of overthinking while he was playing in the NBA, Steve tried to get out of his own head, to the point where he actually pretended to be someone else to get in the zone and play uninhibited by self-doubt. It’s easy to get wrapped up in results, and the self-criticism that comes with it, but if you focus on doing the work, your mind can let the instincts that you hone through preparation take over. Whether it's perfecting your three-point shot or seeing around corners as an investor, find and trust your process and a body of work will follow.

Be open minded about evaluating talent.?Steve learned over time, both as a player and as a coach, that people develop at different rates. He finished high school without a scholarship offer and didn’t think playing in the NBA was realistic. But he stayed focused on improving his game and his skill as a great shooter got him noticed by Lute Olsen at the University of Arizona and eventually allowed him to flourish within the Chicago Bulls system. Talent comes in all shapes and sizes, and at different times, and great leaders see through irrelevancies to what matters and what works in their system.

Establish culture by bringing your values to life every day.?When Steve was hired as the head coach of the Warriors, the team was loaded with the talent to win; the roster included players like Andre?Iguodala, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson. However, it was advice he received from a fellow coach about culture that he attributes to the team’s success: you build a distinct culture by knowing your values and bringing them to life every day. Steve thought hard about what he wanted to be about: Competitiveness, Mindfulness, Compassion, and Joy. Every team is different, so establishing values that are authentic to you and your team and making sure you can feel them in every practice (or meeting or deal) is what creates cohesive culture.?

You win with generalists from varied backgrounds.?Growing up abroad in cities like Beirut and Cairo shaped Steve’s worldview and instilled the power of diverse thinking. Change is our only constant and we need nimble minds who see the field and can adapt. And while Steve played for two of the best basketball coaches ever in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich, he also credits peers outside of his sport for influencing his coaching style. Any value-driven leader knows that there is no limit to what you can learn from others, and surrounding yourself with people who think differently than you will not only lead to more creative solutions, but also will broaden your perspective.

It’s affirming to know that many of the lessons Steve shared align with themes and values that are core to Sixth Street – but we also took away a lot for us to build into our firm. Steve’s wisdom extends beyond the court and can apply to leaders across all industries.?

We thank Steve again for being so generous with his time and knowledge and for making this year’s offsite one for the history books.

Watch the full video conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ehndUm-6

Or listen to the audio version as part of Sixth Street’s #ItsNotMagic podcast on Apple: https://lnkd.in/eQ4J9Bgw or Spotify https://lnkd.in/eAajCpPh