Devin Durrant and The Role of A Great Leader

Devin Durrant and The Role of A Great Leader

Sean:  Hey guys. Welcome back to the show. It’s me again, Sean Si, aka Mr. CEO at 22. And for today, we have an NBA player. He’s retired now. We have an NBA player on the show and we’re going to be talking primarily about teamwork. His name is Devin Durant, and it’s night time where he is because he lives in the US. He’s a retired NBA player. He’s a successful real estate entrepreneur and a leadership expert. And Devin is no stranger to the confusion that overnight professional success can bring from the basketball court. The conference rooms. Devin has found success in multiple ventures but doesn’t credit his basketball prowess or innate leadership Knowledge with his accomplishments is that he owes it all to guess what the inner moral compass that has guided him over the course of his life. I am so honored to have him here. Devin, thank you so much for being here on the show today.

Devin: It’s a pleasure, Sean. I’ve enjoyed listening to your other work and look forward to talking to you for the next few minutes.

Sean: I’m honored that you’re able to tune in the podcast before we were able to have this recording. Devin: So what I want to know I mentioned in the introduction from the courtroom, from the basketball court to conference rooms, that that phrase struck me. And how does it feel to be someone who plays on the basketball court? You know, you got a lot of action going on. You got a lot of quick thinking, instinctive thinking going on to now conference rooms where you have to make sure you say the right words. You have to think a lot before you do anything and make sure that you’re dressed up. And it’s a lot slower than what you’re used to. What happened in between and why decide to go now to conference rooms rather than the basketball court?

Devin:  Oh, that’s an excellent question. Thanks for the opportunity, because I’ve found that over the years there’s so many similarities between the competition that took place on a basketball court and the competition that takes place in the business world. And yes, you have to do a lot of thinking as an athlete. Same kind of thinking takes place in the boardroom or as you interact with customers, you have to be able to respond to what comes your way. And so there are a lot of similarities between the sports world and the corporate world.

Sean: That is amazing. 

Sean: And what I’m wondering about right now is you played a team sport and you got a lot of people watching your back. You know, when you’re playing to win, you do whatever it takes to win that kind of team camaraderie, that kind of team mindset. I’m sorry to say, but it’s rarely seen today in the corporate world where it’s a dog eat dog. What is so important about playing as a team to win that we should take now that we are playing in the corporate world?

Devin: Yeah. Sean, can I tell the story before I respond to your questions? First, I had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines and spent about ten days there, and my name is Devin Duran, which sounds very much like the famous NBA player, Kevin Durant. Yeah. So I had an opportunity to speak to a group there and in all the advertisements, they said Kevin Durant will be speaking. And so it was quite funny. I showed up and there was a packed house and they introduced me as Devin Durrant. And we all had a good laugh that it was Devin Durrant that showed up instead of Kevin Durant. I’m sure many, many were disappointed, but they did leave and I was able to have a wonderful time and sign a few autographs and was very thankful to the people of the Philippines who were kind to Devin Durrant hoping to see Kevin Durant. So now, with that out of the way for me, one of the most vivid examples of the importance of teamwork in athletics. As a young man, I had an opportunity to play on two different teams during my high school years. This is probably when I was 16 and 17 years old. And during my junior year, the next to last year in the secondary school here in the United States, I played and I was on a starting five with four other very talented players. Iit was  a loaded team with lots of talent. But we just never could find a way to play together as a team, to compete as a team, to make sure everyone’s skill set had an opportunity to be magnified. And ultimately we lost in the semifinals of the championship of my state. It was very disappointing because there was so much talent on that team. But a lack of cohesiveness, a lack of teamwork. Well, the following year I was again a part of a starting five that was less talented. But the strength of that team was our willingness to play together, to compete together, and to try to maximize the talents of each member of that team and understand our roles well. Long story short, we ended up winning the championship for our state. And it’s been interesting to see that in different companies that I’ve been a part of where there may be a lack of talent. But when everybody understands their role and they strive to do the best they can with their particular assignment or their role, wonderful things can happen if I’m trying to make my partner look good and he or she’s trying to do the same for me. We’re always going to have a positive outcome. But if there’s there’s a negative sentiment or a jealousy or anything else that can be destructive. It just tends to be a downward spiral. And so that’s certainly been a point of emphasis in business for me is the importance of. Teamwork and helping each other succeed in a mutual fashion. And I hope I can continue to do that. There’s always room for improvement as we strive to work more harmoniously together and to maximize the outcomes. Some that are measurable, some not so much. But I think through an emphasis on teamwork, great things can happen, championships can happen, and a championship might look different in different environments, certainly. But that’s the end goal and that’s what we’re striving for.

Sean: Thanks for that brilliant answer, Gentlemen. I want to stem from what you said with regards to teamwork. So here’s the thing Devin, when we’re playing ball. And you mentioned that you played with a very talented team, but you guys didn’t win any championships because you couldn’t figure out how to play as a team. Now I’m wondering what is the main factor there because you have so much talent. And a lot of people want themselves to shine brighter even in areas they’re not really that strong in. You want to go out of our role without regard to what the team really needs. Why? Why are we drawn to this kind of attitude and behavior where we want ourselves to shine and improve and grow in areas that we shouldn’t be handling the ball in?

Devin: Well, Sean, I think the simple answer is, is ego. We all have an ego that needs to be managed in one form or another. And sometimes even within ourselves, we don’t recognize our strengths and we want to do something that the next guy is doing rather than doing and fulfilling what our role and responsibility is. I think that Sean is where a great leader steps in. Now, again, if you think about the sports world, a great coach can help the different athletes recognize what their strengths are and help them focus on those strengths. And a great coach will draw out the best in those that he’s coaching or she’s coaching and the same thing in the business world as we lead those that we’ve employed. I think that’s the role of a great leader is to help people see their strengths, magnify those strengths and even at times help them see what their weaknesses might be and to improve upon their weaknesses. So overall, that leader. ups that employee or that. Athletes become the best, best employee or athlete that they can be. That’s where a great leader can really shine and stand out.