#190: Steve Duncker, former Chairman of NYRA – One size doesn’t fit all
Jun 6, 2024
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Former Goldman Sachs partner and NYRA chairman, Steve Duncker, discusses the importance of adapting leadership styles. He shares insights on driving culture, making career decisions, the impact of words, and a unique horse racing win.
Effective leadership requires adaptability to suit different situations and individuals.
Diverse experiences demonstrate the need to tailor leadership approaches for success in various environments.
Deep dives
Importance of Leadership Adaptability
Effective leadership requires adaptability to suit different situations and individuals. Steve Dunker's experience highlights the necessity to adjust leadership styles based on circumstances and the people being led. His varied career, from entrepreneurship to horse racing, underscores the need to tailor leadership approaches to be successful in diverse environments.
Learning from Childhood Ventures
Dunker's early experience in entrepreneurship, such as resurfacing driveways with a friend, taught him valuable lessons in self-reliance and seizing opportunities. The need to secure resources, make swift decisions, and take action independently showcased the essential entrepreneurial skills developed at a young age.
Transition from Business to Horse Racing
Dunker's shift from managing a miniature golf course to horse racing exemplifies his versatility in pursuing diverse interests. The successful foray into horse racing, starting with buying a racehorse and strategizing based on insights about horse racing circuits, demonstrates his ability to explore new endeavors and leverage unique opportunities.
Leadership Lessons from Various Career Phases
Dunker's insights from teaching a course on horse race handicapping and his experiences at Goldman Sachs highlight the importance of adapting leadership styles with evolving roles. From teaching and mentoring to managing high-risk positions, his career journey emphasizes the value of experience, adaptability, and mentorship in effective leadership.
Every leader has their own style and their own way of leading.
And that’s true – but sometimes, you have to adapt that style, depending on who and where you’re leading.
If you want to learn how it’s done, listen to this episode with Steve Duncker. He’s a former partner at Goldman Sachs and the former Chairman of the New York Racing Association, which operates the three largest thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York.
You’ll also learn:
Practical ways to drive culture at every level of your organization
What to pay attention to when you make big career decisions