3 Lessons an NBA Team Taught Me That Shape How I Lead Today

The people you encounter and the experiences you have during your formative years can set the tone for the rest of your life.

In the early 2000s, I had an opportunity to work as a freelance writer for the Utah Jazz’s HomeCourt magazine. This was the tail end of the legendary John Stockton and Karl Malone era, so my work put me in close proximity to some of the greatest players in the sport. Their passion and dedication inspired me then and continue to inspire me today.

Of course, I didn’t become a professional athlete or even a professional sports writer. But my role as CEO for an industry-leading power dialing platform demands the same competitive spirit, reliable instincts and strategic insight that we often see modeled by outstanding athletes. I like to think I learned to appreciate those qualities during my time with the Jazz.

I also learned that successful teams are built on more than just one or two star performers. Their real strength often comes from the systems that keep them consistent, unified and accountable.

Here’s how those lessons informed my approach to running a company, and how they can help you do the same.

Star performance only looks effortless when the system behind it is relentless

Despite his status as one of the all-time best point guards in the history of the league, John Stockton was never flashy. On the court, he was efficient and focused. Off the court, he was humble and straightforward, with a sense of humor that was dry and understated.

This made him an anomaly in the world of basketball at the time. The 90s had brought an abundance of attention to the sport, creating global celebrities like Michael Jordan and sparking intense rivalries between big personalities that sometimes overshadowed the game itself.

But Stockton never seemed to care. He was above the drama and often beneath the media circus that followed it. I recall Stockton as a man who was uninterested in fame, intensely focused on his game and unwaveringly supportive of his team. He attended practice the way devout Christians attend church.

This triggered a revelation in me. The media has always tended to present successful people as naturally gifted — inherently better than others for unknowable reasons. But that isn’t true. Watching Stockton taught me that greatness comes from structured and consistent commitment to improving your abilities. It really is that simple.

Pressure is the ultimate test of your preparation

In basketball, practicing is about more than just repeating drills. Drills enhance the reflexes and instincts of individual players, but the most valuable things teams can do before a game involve making sure they understand their shared goals and can communicate effectively to achieve them.

When I was writing for HomeCourt, the Head Coach of the Jazz was Jerry Sloan: a consummate, no-nonsense professional who prioritized teaching and teamwork over showboating. He knew he had to trust his players to make decisions in the moment, but he also knew they needed a cohesive plan to fall back on, and that every player had to be aware of it. He made absolutely certain that every player on the Jazz knew how to run his plays.

Sloan was famous for his innovative “Flex Offense,” which used multiple screens to attack man-to-man defenses. It typically requires five players to succeed: two on the top, two on the low posts and one on the wing. If any of those players aren’t properly positioned to set their screens in time, the passes they’re protecting can be intercepted.

The main business lesson I took from watching Sloan coach was to make certain that I never left key team members unaware of their responsibilities on a project.

Not only do I meet with PhoneBurner’s senior leadership regularly to ensure alignment on our internal goals, but I meet with our partners and vendors as well — from the consultants we retain to representatives of the CRM systems and apps our platform integrates with.

It’s my job to make sure anyone involved in realizing our business goals understands specifically how they fit into the greater strategy. No one should be left to their own devices when they’re under pressure to perform and we’re counting on them to deliver results.

Develop discipline through trust instead of control

I said earlier that Sloan knew he had to trust his players. Let me elaborate.

Sometimes a plan doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. When that happens, the only people who can save you from disaster are the ones close enough to the action to get their hands on the ball, and you have to let them do what they believe is right.

If you’ve prepared your team adequately, their impulses will normally be good ones. A center who receives a surprise pass instinctively knows whether he has good odds of making a shot from his current position or whether he needs to get closer to the rim.

When my sales team fields a tough question about a competitor on a demo, I trust them to know the industry, know where we shine and show the buyer why our approach fits their situation better.

The best leaders, in sport and in business, do more than simply motivate. They create the conditions that support all-star performance, then trust their talent to perform in those conditions: reliable systems, extensive preparation and faith in the people you’ve chosen to do the job you hired them for.

Watching the Jazz taught me why these principles matter, and writing for HomeCourt helped me put those lessons into words so I could carry them into the rest of my career. My hope is that revisiting them here will allow you to do the same.

The people you encounter and the experiences you have during your formative years can set the tone for the rest of your life.

In the early 2000s, I had an opportunity to work as a freelance writer for the Utah Jazz’s HomeCourt magazine. This was the tail end of the legendary John Stockton and Karl Malone era, so my work put me in close proximity to some of the greatest players in the sport. Their passion and dedication inspired me then and continue to inspire me today.

Of course, I didn’t become a professional athlete or even a professional sports writer. But my role as CEO for an industry-leading power dialing platform demands the same competitive spirit, reliable instincts and strategic insight that we often see modeled by outstanding athletes. I like to think I learned to appreciate those qualities during my time with the Jazz.