The Secret to the Warriors' Winning Streak

I'm not a "typical" sports fan. I don't listen to sports radio every morning, can't keep up with lunch conversations about what player got traded to what team, and don't remember who coached what college team. As such, most people wouldn't guess that way back when, during their winning streak in 1991-1993 and again in 1996-1998, I watched most of the Chicago Bulls' basketball games. I was excited by the speed of the game; the great teamwork that five players must display on the court in order to win; and who wouldn't be enthralled to watch history in the making with arguably one of the best teams in NBA history, led by Michael Jordan, one of the best players to ever play the game? Fast forward 20 years, my basketball 'passion,' if you call it that, has been relegated to cheering at the top of my lungs in my 11-year old daughter's basketball games. Until last year. The Golden State Warriors who play in my backyard, with former Bulls champ Steve Kerr (who scored the Bulls' winning basket in the title game in 1997) at the helm, won the NBA 2014-15 title. This team that seemed unstoppable at the end of last season has set an NBA record of 19-0 season-opening wins-to-losses, kick-starting an exciting 2015-16 season. 

What's driving the Warriors to win every new confrontation, even absent their star coach (as he recuperates from surgery)?  And how could such a team best every other NBA team's starting record - only 2 other teams have ever come even close to this level of playing and started the year with a 15-0 record: the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 1993-94 Houston Rockets. The Warriors now also have the 3rd longest winning streak in NBA history (after the LA Lakers and Miami Heat). And how could Kerr be the first coach to lead a basketball team to win a championship in his rookie year?

Aside from being a fan of the game, I'm deeply interested in what this team, and their leadership, do to stay heads and shoulders above all others. They demonstrate 4 specific behaviors that enable them to win: 

• Trust: This team, and every consistently winning team, leverages trust as a foundation on which to build their collective success. Patrick Lencioni, well-known author (The Advantage, Five Dysfunctions of a Team) and coveted organizational consultant, calls the type of trust necessary to become and remain a winning team, "vulnerability-based trust." With vulnerability-based trust, team members don't hold back; they are willing to expose their weaknesses, to be open and to work to improve, for the betterment of the team. "Members of a cohesive, functional team must learn to comfortably and quickly acknowledge, without provocation, their mistakes, weaknesses, failures, and needs for help," says Lencioni. "They must also readily recognize the strengths of others, even when those strengths exceed their own." Everyone close to the Warrior organization knows that while they're relying on sheer resilience (and outstanding three-point shooting), from players to coaches, they share an unwavering trust. 
  
  
• Commitment: Commitment is an essential element to the success of any strategy, and the Warriors seem to be well-versed in practicing commitment. Commitment is only possible when people feel respected, heard, and understand the rationale behind decisions. Passionate and unfiltered debate, grounded in trust, ensures buy-off. “People are allowed to express their own opinions," says former LA Lakers legendary player and GM Jerry West of the Warriors organization. "Nobody takes themselves too seriously. This is the most healthy environment I’ve been involved with since I’ve been in the NBA.”
  
  
• Accountability: Each player on this team expects the best from his teammates and from himself. They each stand accountable to one another to give their best. When Steph Curry, the league's MVP, makes mistakes, he's first to admit it and to push himself harder in the next game. He doesn't blame a teammate or coach; he takes ownership. When he had a bad night in one of the championship games last season, he held himself accountable: "I’ve got to play better, find better shots and be more in a rhythm throughout the course of the game for us to really assert ourselves as a team."
  
  
• Results: It's about winning! The Warriors have walked into each of the past 19 games with one thing on their minds: winning. When Draymond Green isn't posting triple-doubles, Thompson is braving back pain to help his team win. Then there is Curry, the star MVP and ultimate embodiment of a point guard. What makes Curry so successful is that, in addition to being incredibly talented, he's a dazzling play-maker with a phenomenal work ethic. He cares more about getting his team to win than he cares about making winning shots. And he's constantly pushing his team and himself to grow. 
  
  

Whether you're a basketball fan, or want to win in business, this team of champions is providing ample lessons along with the excitement of what seems to be an unstoppable force. Think of the possibilities if your team embodied what the Warriors have!