Why Steve Kerr is my leadership hero

If you're a fan of basketball—or if you don't live under a rock—you probably are aware that the Golden State Warriors are a pretty damn good team. In fact, while I may know a Chicago Bulls fan that would go blue in the face arguing the point, perhaps the greatest assemblage of talent ever gathered on a basketball court.

But even still, they are not without their problems.

This season, the Dubs have had trouble getting motivated for several games; they've had a lack of focus at times and their stars have been sloppy with the ball; they lead the lead in technical fouls (the kind you get when you snap at a ref too aggressively); their cast of characters coming off the bench have not been scoring much; former Finals MVP and anchor of the bench, Andre Iguodala, whose basketball intelligence has always been a huge asset to the team has been criticized for his lack of impact.

All this has happened while the competition in the NBA has gotten stronger this year.

Coach Kerr can't put on shorts and play for these guys, but ultimately, it's his responsibility to get them to play their best throughout the season to lock up home court advantage and develop the right habits in their quest for a 3rd NBA title in 4 years. And so far this season—let's be frank—he's had trouble doing that.

And while, Steve Kerr is widely respected for having the best start in history to his coaching career, it's a fair question to ask, is it really his coaching or with so much talent, couldn't my 11-year old son have the best coaching record in NBA history?

Last night, Coach Kerr established unequivocally in my eyes, that it is indeed him. And how? By first looking inward and then making it not about him at all.

Call it humility; call it wisdom; call it self-reflection; call it what you will, but rather than ask, how should these guys change what they are doing?, Steve asked, how can change what I am doing?

His conclusion was that his team might just be sick and tired of hearing his voice. It's a great voice, sure, but it's a long season. And rather than take that insight as a personal slight, he saw it as an opportunity. He made the decision to hand the clipboard over to one of his players, Iguodala, and let them run the huddle—essentially to be coach for the night.

Kerr gets it. As a leader, you can't fix the problem. Your team needs to fix the problem. If you've done your job and shown them the way, your team knows what it needs to do, Sometimes the best way to help them is to get the hell out of the way and make them help themselves.

As the CEO of Traction, the creative agency I run, for the past 17 years, I know for damn sure I haven't always been wise enough to ask that question when my team's run into obstacles. I take pride in being self-reflective, yet I know I try, but there are times it just seems easier to steamroll to the finish line. To instruct my team exactly how I'd do something. Or not involve team members who don't get it. Or to just do it myself.

These approaches rarely work, and if they do, it's a short-term result. No one has failed, but no one has learned. Evolved. Grown.

Last night I saw "professional adventurer" and motivational speaker, Jamie Clark—just flying in from Korea after giving a pep talk to the Canadian Olympic hockey team—give a keynote at the iMedia Brand Summit. Jamie made an outstanding observation:

“If you’re going to be successful in life, you need to be an expert in failure.”

The outcome of Coach Kerr allowing his team to succeed by becoming experts in their own failures?

First off, he reinforced the value he placed on Andre Iguodala's basketball intelligence, which may not always show up on the stat sheet, but has been a critical part of the Dubs chemistry and success. He also got the team to focus—laser focus—because they didn't want to let their brother down. Oh, and no techs.

The Suns... The poor Suns, who are a lousy team (but the kind of team the Dubs have been letting their guard down against all season) got destroyed by almost 50 points with a final score of 129-83—but more significantly was where those 129 points came from.

With a number like that, you'll usually see the big 3 of Steph, Klay and KD score at least 80 of those points. Last night, they collectively only had to score 55 to get to 129. What does that mean? It means they were playing Warrior Ball: moving the ball, being aggressive, taking the shot when you're open, using the "Strength in Numbers"system and philosophy that have helped the Warriors smash record after record and win NBA titles two out of the past three years.

Thank you Steve Kerr for the lesson in leadership. And if you're a manager or a leader in your company or some other kind of organization, take a moment to reflect today and ask yourself, how could I help my team help themselves fail their way to success?