Steph Curry and Finding Joy at Work


(This Minute Motivation is written with apologies to our Cavs-loving HR Director, Keith Jenkins)

ESPN ran an article last week on the impact their star player, Steph Curry, has on the Golden State Warriors team and organization. The writer talks about head coach Steve Kerr: “…mere months into his tenure in Oakland, Kerr decided the dream culture he desired would embody the star player at the very center of it. They would strive to make one of Curry’s defining traits their cornerstone. It would be a constant, felt in the practice facility (where music thumps) and film sessions (where jokes fly) and far beyond. It would be one of the few qualities that, in the age of analytics, remained difficult to tally: happiness.”

The article tells how Curry’s happiness and joy permeates the culture of the team. Teammate Klay Thompson says: “’I can say here, everyone enjoys coming into the gym.’ [Draymond] Green cosigns this notion, saying that many NBA players feel like their job – while coveted – feels like…well, a job. For the Warriors? ‘It doesn’t feel like a job,’ Green says.”

Thompson goes on, speaking of Curry: “And he’s just easy to joke with. He’ll joke with our video interns, he’ll joke with our owners, he’ll joke with our equipment guys. When you see your best player being loose and disciplined – like, it’s a fine line, but when you can walk both lines, it just makes for such a nice work atmosphere.”

Curry is a hard worker – highly disciplined, yet full of joy. His leadership creates the culture of the team.

How is it with your team? In the pursuit of excellence, is there an underlying joy? Is there a happiness, a feeling that this is more than just a job? Who are the leaders on your team that shape the culture?

In Called to Lead, Section Two, there is a sentence that captures this idea: “Have some fun with this! It is not rocket science. It is an intentional way to keep growing your team’s delivery of extraordinary service as well as helping them experience joy in their work.”

(Having said all that – Go Cavs!)

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