Matt Murphy, III’s Post

Check out the latest #Leadership Reverie blog post “Handle Hard Better”

Women’s basketball is having a much deserved moment in the sun the past several months. The NCAA tournament was a huge hit and the highly anticipated WNBA season tips off mid-May. While Caitlin Clark has received much deserved praise for her talent and calm under pressure, some of the best leadership lessons this year (and many years prior) have come from coach Dawn Staley from the champion University of South Carolina. Coach Staley has found the balance between setting incredibly high standards for her players and the team as a whole - while demonstrating her sincere care for each individual. This quote sums up her clarity of intention in understanding her role and using challenges and setbacks to help her players grow. And her style gets results: 109-3 over the past three years, with three Final Fours and two championships - including this year’s undefeated season. With high expectations for more to come next year... The interview in the link below is worth watching in its entirety - and the final two minutes sum up a definition of leadership that we need to see across so many industries. https://lnkd.in/eN5NjH2H #teamwork #inclusion #leadership #improvisation #organizationalchange — I help individuals to achieve threefold impact through leadership coaching, team development, and organizational change. 💬Comment | ♻️Repost |➕Follow me |🔔Ring my LinkedIn bell

This is great advice from Big Red. That's why every great leader makes the same decision. Walton believed success at the highest level in basketball comes down to one question: "Can you make the choice that your happiness can come from someone else's success?" If you can make that decision, you take the most important step towards becoming a great leader. #leadership

How quickly an organization can experiment, make mistakes, regroup, and recover is often what gives it an edge over the competition. 📊 According to Harvard University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tommy Amaker, the winningest coach in Crimson history, a setback is a setup for a comeback, rejection leads to a new direction, and failure is inevitable – and if you’re doing things right, it’s repeatedly inevitable. 🏀 With 7 Ivy League Championships under his belt, Amaker demonstrates how hard moments that impact us most can be the most transformative, leading us to become more innovative, strategic, and resilient. Through real-world case studies and personal examples of failure and comeback, he teaches audiences the art of authentic leadership, including how to embrace failure, recover quickly, be a great teammate, and bounce back as a stronger, more resilient team than before. Contact us to learn more about Tommy Amaker’s innovative approach to building winning teams: https://bit.ly/3LeEbto #SternThoughtLeaders

*A Lesson in Leadership from the Back Seat* Yesterday, while driving my kids to school, my son, who’s in Grade 2, called out from the back seat, “Baba, guess what! My sports teacher picked me to be the captain of our football team again this year.” Knowing his passion for the game, I couldn’t help but feel excted for him. But then he added something unexpected: “But I told him, ‘Sir, I was captain last year. My friend R****m is a great player, but he hasn’t had the chance to lead yet. I want you to make him the captain this year.’” In that moment, I was stunned—and immensely proud. Here’s a boy who lives for sports, fiercely competitive and ambitious. But this? This was more than just talent; it was a profound lesson in character. I started reflecting on how rarely we see this kind of selflessness in the workplace. How often do we willingly step back to give others a chance to shine? Imagine the impact if we approached our teams with that same spirit of generosity. Rather than competing for leadership, we could create space for others to grow, even when it means sharing the spotlight. Later, I told him, “You’re already a champion, son. No goal or trophy can top what you did today.” His small, selfless choice reminded me that real success isn’t solely measured by personal achievements. True leadership often lies in lifting others up and recognizing their potential. Sometimes, it’s not about taking the lead but knowing when to pass the torch. In our careers, our teams, and our lives—let’s remember that the most impactful leaders are those who create opportunities for others. #ProudDad #Leadership #LifeLessons #WorkplaceCulture #GrowthMindset

U.S. Women's Soccer Coach Emma Hayes appeared on a "Good Morning America" segment this morning to promote her new book about leadership. She shared several insights about leadership: • Leaders are not born, they're made. • You need emotional intelligence and skillset to bring out the best in others. • You achieve great things with great people. • Along the way, there will be lots of failures and lots of mistakes. I'll add from my own personal experience that if you aspire to be a better leader, it helps to align yourself with a great coach in the journey because leadership is a process, not a destination. A Completely Different Game: My Leadership Playbook

Leadership isn’t about being the loudest—it’s about inspiring others to follow your example. Today, my middle child turns another year older, and I couldn’t be prouder of the young leader he’s becoming. As the point guard on his basketball team, he’s not just the one running plays—he’s the one setting the tone, lifting others up, and keeping the team focused when the game is on the line. It’s a reminder that leadership, whether on the court or in business, isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about: Vision: Seeing opportunities before others do. Communication: Knowing when to pass the ball or take the shot. Inspiration: Bringing out the best in everyone around you. To my son: Keep leading by example. Your hard work and heart are what truly make you a champion—not just in basketball, but in life. To my network: What’s a leadership lesson you’ve learned from sports? #Leadership #HardWork #BasketballLife #PointGuard #Teamwork #Inspiration #ParentPride #GrowthMindset #SportsLessons #LifeSkills

Be you. And find the system you best fit into. My son has played on many different basketball teams. Individually, he’s athletic and talented in many areas of the game. However, on some teams he’s played better than others. Last summer he played concurrently for two different teams. While watching him play, it was clear that on one team he was “in his element” and another he was struggling. When I asked my son about what causes the differences he told me he feels more comfortable in the system of the one team - how they played together, their winning strategy and how he was coached. Today, I watched him play with his college team. He intentionally chose a team/school with a system he knew he would thrive in…and it shows! He’s able to bring his best in contributing to the team and he will grow tremendously over the next four years. And then it hit me! As leaders, WE should find the system for which we are best suited. Are you feeling undervalued at work? Are your good ideas being suppressed? Then that’s not your system! In the right system, you can contribute to the team AND continue to grow! #leadership

It feels impossible to believe that ten years ago I was just starting my first classes at the University of Connecticut. In honor of my own sentimentality, let’s talk about a well known UCONN leader, Geno Auriemma. With a reputation of leading his teams to over a thousand wins, setting records, and empowering players, we can all learn from Geno a few leadership skills. 1. Harness the DESIRE of your team “Fear of failure is a motivator, but not as great a motivator as the desire for success” 2. Don’t lose sight of what’s IMPORTANT “I’ve never lost sight of the fact that it is just a game- it is a bunch of people trying to get together to accomplish something that individually you can’t do by yourself” 3. Hire PEOPLE, not resumes “I don’t hire good coaches, I hire good people. If they turn out to be good coaches, too, that’s a plus.” 4. Remember to have FUN “I just want the players to understand that the one constant in our program is that we want to make sure we play hard and have fun” 5. Be HONEST and tell it like it is “I don’t lie to my players and give them a bullshit answer. That’s just not gonna happen.” I’m so proud to be a Husky, and today I’ll be channeling a bit of Geno’s philosophy. I’d love to hear from you- what was your favorite advice you received from a coach that molded you into the leader you are today? #uconn #leadership #coach #wisdom #uconnwomensbasketball

George Brown College & George Brown College Continuing Education: I cannot recommend Tracy Shea-Porter, her work & her book highly enough. I think the GBC staff & students would benefit greatly by working with her in any number of capacities. My review of her book: https://lnkd.in/eEFTRQCX #improv #yesand #education #teambuilding