Actionable insights on coaching, leadership, culture, and teams

July 7, 2023

Howdy Y’all,

This week’s Highest Level includes:

• The Value of Relationships in Building a Dynasty
• Jeff Van Gundy on Coaching Unfavorable Power Dynamics
• Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Power of Having A Clear Vision

Let's go!

EB

The Value of Relationships in Building a Dynasty

Bob Myers stepping aside as General Manager of the Golden State Warriors marks the end of one of the greatest runs for a sports team executive in recent memory.

Myers will be remembered by most as the architect of a pro sports dynasty. But when looking at those who worked beside him, it's clear that Myers' true legacy within the Warriors organization will be the relationships he built with every person in the building.

Incoming Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy was asked at his introductory press conference what was the biggest thing he learned from his five years working alongside Bob Myers. His answer offers clues as to why Golden State was able to sustain such a long run of success.

Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy on learning the value of relationships from Bob Myers

Evan Burk @CoachEvanBurk New @warriors GM Mike Dunleavy on the biggest thing he learned from Bob Myers “I think with Bob the biggest thing I’ve learned is the value of relationships. And his connection with people, not only within this organization and on this team, but around the league, is important.” 11:29 AM • Jun 22, 2023 0 Retweets 10 Likes

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In studying Myers and his leadership style, it's clear that soft skills like humility, authenticity, and empathy allowed him to keep a pulse on the people he led, and also build meaningful, personal relationships with each member of the organization.

Myers highlighted the importance of relationships and connecting with people in an interview with Forbes in 2019:

Myers on the key to building successful relationships

Myers' ability to connect with people in an authentic way - from players, to coaches, to the unseen staff members of the team - were the key to creating successful relationships with everyone involved with the Golden State Warriors organization, and served as the foundation that championship teams were built on.

Jeff Van Gundy on Coaching Unfavorable Power Dynamics

Although we won't be hearing Jeff Van Gundy on NBA Finals broadcasts with his recent departure from ESPN, you can still get your fill of his coaching wisdom in this excellent interview from his appearance on the Slappin' Glass podcast [Apple link | Spotify link].

One topic I loved hearing Van Gundy's perspective on was managing personalties when the power dynamics are not in a leader's favor, a dynamic which is especially true in the NBA where coaches are managing players who are making many times the salary of any coach.

Van Gundy on driving consensus with players vs. telling them what to do

Sharing the reason why you have people do the things they do gives clarity to the people you lead, but also creates the space for team members to be a part of the discussions that relate to the team. Van Gundy explains that even if creating that environment comes with conversations (or heated arguments) that challenge the leader, this can actually be healthy for a team.

Van Gundy on allowing for heated conversations and the value of confrontation

Coaching at any level, especially at the highest levels, is about collaboration. By being open to conflict and confrontation, leaders can take steps to creating both the environment for healthy conflict to take place, and one where leaders can manage this unfavorable power dynamic through collaboration with everyone involved.

The whole episode is a really great listen for any coach or leader as Van Gundy dives into a number of interesting leadership topics, including how coaches have a tendency to overcomplicate problems that often have simple solutions, the key to player development, building resilience in your players, and the importance that adaptability plays in the success of today's players and coaches.

Check out the full episode on Slappin' Glass with Jeff Van Gundy on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Power of A Clear Vision

A three-part documentary series covering the rise, the career, and the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger is currently airing on Netflix. If you're interested in high performance, the strategic planning of building a successful career, and what it means to pursue excellence in whatever you do in life, this series is well worth the viewing.

In the first episode covering his body building career, Arnold attributes his quick ascent and success at an early age to the power of his mind as much as the sculpting of his body. “The idea was to sculpt the body to your will,” he says in the episode, “But it can also be used to shape your mind — to do the things that everyone calls impossible. I had a fire in the belly for much, much more.”

A large part of Schwarzenegger's rise to the top of body building was how clearly he developed his mindset, specifically the power he derived from a clear vision for exactly what he was trying to achieve in his sport.

Arnold Schwarzenegger on the power of a clear vision

This clear vision, combined with a strong alignment of the behaviors to achieve this vision, drove Arnold to the top of professional body building, acting, and politics. This is a fantastic show for anyone that is a fan of documentaries, and honestly Netflix does such a good job with it's production and presentation that I think even casual viewers would enjoy seeing Arnold's story.

​"Arnold" is available to view now on Netflix.

If you don't have Netflix, I'd recommend Tim Ferriss' interview with Schwarzenegger on his podcast back in 2015 where he talks about his career, how his confidence came from his vision, and the mental side of competition.

Thanks for reading and see you next time at the highest level.

Dominate Today,

Evan

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