This week’s conversation is with Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Currently in his fifth season as head coach, Steve has guided the club through four of the most prolific seasons in NBA history with a list of accomplishments that includes:

  • Three NBA championships
  • Four-straight NBA Finals appearances
  • The NBA’s single-season wins record (73)
  • An NBA Coach of the Year award (2015-16)
  • Four of the five winningest seasons in franchise history

Steve, who won five NBA championships during a 15-year playing career, now owns eight championships as either a player or coach, becoming the first to win three NBA titles as a player and three as a coach.

So I think it’s clear – Steve understands winning but he’s searching for something beyond that.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Seahawks culture, it’s centered on competition.

Steve has made it a point to revolve the Warriors’ culture around joy.

In this conversation, we discuss how Steve went about building the Warriors’ culture, what he’s most hungry for, and his biggest challenge at the moment – finding a way to keep the Warriors’ motivated and playing with joy after they’ve already experienced so much previous success.

Steve is one of the brightest minds in the game of basketball and I think you’re going to love his insights on not just basketball, but life as a whole.

“The value that means the most to our team is joy, and it’s reflected in the way we play.”

In This Episode:

  • When he was looking to move into coaching 5 years ago, visited the Seahawks and had a great experience learning from Pete Carroll how he goes about building a culture
  • Realized how important it was to get clear on your values and implement them in everyday team activities
  • Most important values for the Warriors: joy and compassion
  • When he was 18, dealt with the tragic passing of father
  • How to move through pain
  • Two of the most important parts of coaching: keeping perspective and having gratitude
  • What he learned from Gregg Popovich
  • What he learned from Phil Jackson
  • Why Lute Olson had the biggest influence in getting his career going
  • What he’s most hungry for… experiencing moments of group flow with his team
  • His biggest challenge: keeping the Warriors motivated after they’ve won so much

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