At its best, leadership has the ability to elevate people. Leadership has the ability to inspire, make dreams come true, bring people together, and yes, even wipe away some tears.
Steph Curry embodied the very best of leadership with an act of kindness this past week. Allow me to tell you the story.
A Crying Fan
On Tuesday, March 8th, the Denver Nuggets were hosting the Golden State Warriors. A 10-year-old fan named PJ O’Brien showed up dressed in Warriors gear from head-to-toe hoping to support her favorite player. She even had a poster made which read “Go Warriors MVP Steph Curry”. Hoping to meet see hero, little did she know that load management would cause her to be greatly disappointed. Curry would not be in attendance.
Upon learning of Curry’s absence, the video below captures her response:
A young Warriors fan was in tears after finding out her favorite player wasn't in the building 🥺️ https://t.co/0W2hKT5fCb
— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) March 8, 2022
The Perfect Do-Over
As suggested by the announcers, the Warriors would be getting PJ and her family tickets for the next time the Warriors visited Denver. That’s the good news. The great news is PJ would not have to wait long. The Warriors were returning just two days later on Thursday, March 13th.
On that night, PJ returned to a front row seat in the same outfit and same sign. It was then that she received a surprise visit from none other than Steph Curry himself. Watch the video below to see what happened next followed by some leadership lessons. WARNING – have your tissues ready!
Remember the girl who was devastated when Steph missed the last game in Denver? Steph Curry just made her year. pic.twitter.com/c9iyGJhuAx
— Mike Singer (@msinger) March 11, 2022
5 Leadership Lessons We Learn From Steph Curry
Steph Curry Sees The Big Picture
After the game, Curry said, “This is what the NBA is all about.” As a representative and one of the primary faces of his industry, Curry knew the amount of goodwill this meeting PJ would bring to the league and its fans. He could have stayed in the locker room or focused on his job preparing for the game itself. No one would have thought less of him. At that moment, however, PJ was his job and he made her his primary responsibility. The NBA could not have a better ambassador.
Steph Curry Is Compassionate
Kindness is a lost trait in our society. The ability to treat people with kindness has become a differentiator in leaders who have the most positive impact in the world and those who have minimal influence. Bottom line – the Warriors did not have to purchase courtside seats for the family and arrange a meeting with Curry but they did a kind and compassionate thing. Kudos to them.
Steph Curry Engaged The Issue
As mentioned previously, load management and players taking games off is not good for the league. Think about it, this young fan clearly planned on watching Curry for months in advance. There was a time, financial (tickets, parking, merchandise, etc..), and emotional investment made in attending a game in which he would play. And then the Warriors sat him and other players out.
Recognizing the level of disappointment this decision brought to PJ, the team and Curry himself went to work on a solution.
Steph Curry Provided A Solution
The solution was to purchase the family courtside seats and arrange a meeting between Curry and PJ. It was the perfect solution for mending a young fan’s broken heart. Curry teaches us that best solutions are personal, specific to the issue, cost something, and fix the problem.
Steph Curry Created A Remarkable Experience
One of the things great leaders do is create remarkable experiences for those they serve. This could be giving their team a great book to read, sending them to a conference, or arranging a lunch meeting or training session with a well-known influencer in their field. Whatever it may be, great leaders are always on the lookout for these type of opportunities.
Why was this meeting with Curry a remarkable experience for PJ? Beyond the obvious, she and her parents will be remarking about their meeting for the rest of her life.
In conclusion, as a leader do you see the big picture? Are you compassionate? Do you then engage issues, provide solutions, and create memorable experiences? If the answer to these questions is “Yes”, then you too have the potential to be the type of leader Steph Curry is.
If you are a fan of Steph Curry or leadership in general, then my latest book 2021: The Year In Leadership – The Stories of Faith, Athletics, Business and Life Which Inspired Us All is available for pre-order!!! Each chapter is filled with wisdom and insights from the leaders like Curry who succeeded and struggled during 2021. I takes those lessons from all walks of life and gives you practical steps on how to best use them in your own leadership. As you will discover, the stories are entertaining, challenging, inspiring, and sometimes even sobering.
In fact, there are two chapters dedicated to Curry. One is on his ability as a culture builder and the other on the leadership lessons we can learn from his breaking the all-time 3-point field goal record.
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