206: Sam Walker - The Hidden Force That Creates The World's Greatest Teams

May 24, 2017

Sam Walker, an award-winning writer and deputy editor at the Wall Street Journal, explores the hidden traits of elite team captains. He highlights the seven key qualities that distinguish great leaders, from relentless focus and emotional control to the ability to communicate without words. Walker discusses the unique leadership model of LeBron James and illustrates lessons from legends like Tim Duncan and Bill Russell. Discover how captains create winning cultures in sports and business by being principled connectors who inspire through action.

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INSIGHT

Captain Is The Common Thread

Sustained team greatness depends less on coaches or stars and more on a specific kind of captain.
Sam Walker found one captain-type consistently present across the 16 longest dynasties.

ANECDOTE

Russell's 96-Foot Defensive Sprint

Bill Russell sprinted 96 feet in three seconds to block a game-winning layup as a rookie.
That effort exemplified relentless, non-statistical acts that define great captains.

INSIGHT

Charismatic Connectors Over Big Orators

Practical, constant one-on-one communication beats grand speeches for driving performance.
Charismatic connectors circulate and engage in short intense bursts to shape team behavior.

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Episode 206: Sam Walker - The Hidden Force That Creates The World's Greatest Teams: Captains

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The 7 Traits of Elite Captains:
- Extreme doggedness and focus in competition, often to the point of madness
- A tendency to play aggressively up to, and often beyond, the limits of the rules
- A willingness to do thankless jobs in the shadow of more acclaimed teammates
- A bias against making big speeches in favor of continuous practical communication
- A talent for displaying their commitment and motivating teammates through aggressive nonverbal means
- An unwavering commitment to defend their principles and speak truth to power
- The presence of a "kill switch" for shutting off emotion when it's not useful
Studying the moment when teams went from good to great
Why LeBron James is a unicorn
- "His model of leadership is completely new."
Relation to the business world -- Some of the greatest leaders don't think they deserve the title (job title or to be captain) -- Tim Duncan & Yogi Berra
The rituals of Tim Duncan
- Short conversations with each teammate
- Great facial expressions
- Effective messaging
- Never giving big speeches
How to be a charismatic connector like Tim Duncan
Great captains (and leaders) are not "yes men." They defend their principles and speak truth to power
Jack Lambert purposely left blood on his jersey as a message to his team -- Great captains have a talent for displaying their commitment and motivating teammates through aggressive nonverbal means
The ability to develop "emotional maturity." A measured approach
- As Liz Wiseman said "Great leaders have a buffer between the stimulus and their response"
They are able to build resilience

Social Media:

Follow David on Twitter: @SamWalkers
Read: The Captain Class
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

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Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

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