#143: Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Joe Prunty: Listening, player leadership, and everyday improvement (RCS)   

1.     What characteristics in a leader facilitate voices being heard? Listening. Having a vision, seeing things that other people don’t see. “Look at not what a team is, but what they can become.”

2.     Creating a safe environment where different perspectives will be respected and valued.

3.     What’s made Joe better? Having children. “Give them a foundation and then let them learn.”

4.     Observing and listening to other teams, including multiple levels to learn “What’s this generation like?”

5.     Coach Popovich. Creating environments where conversation naturally flowed. Critical thinking and healthy debate. “It’s ok to disagree.”

6.     Putting a leadership group together on the Great Britain National Team. “It was a microcosm of the entire team.”

7.     In leading a conversation, direct questions to specific players. It’s not a rhetorical question.

8.     Kevin Garnett as a skilled and nuanced player leader.

9.     Differences in player leadership depending upon the competitive context. David Robinson. Tim Duncan. Avery Johnson. Paul Pierce. Kevin Garnett. Joe Johnson.

10.  Getting better every day. On the personal side. “Did I do the right things by my family today?”

11.  Peaking at the right time. 

12.  Analytics paired with history and feeling.

13.  The stock market as a metaphor for the long-term growth of a team.

14.  The impact of behind-the-scenes things going on for teams.

15.  Work ethic. Dirk Nowitzki. Working relentlessly on unorthodox things. “The fadeaway, one-legged shot that is now a statue did not just happen.”

16.  “Knowing you can apply X, Y, or Z is not as important as being able to know when to apply X, Y, or Z.”

17.  Having 27 years of experience vs. one year of experience 27 times.

18.  “Sometimes the best thing you can do as a leader is to step back and let them lead.”

19.  Learning from players.