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This week’s Thriving Teams podcast features an interview with Kevin Eastman, an American Basketball coach.

Kevin started coaching in 1978, moving through the ranks to become the Head Coach of Belmont Abbey College. From there, he went on to lead at Washington State University and then the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

In 2003 Kevin was appointed as Nike’s Basketball National Director of Skills. Through this role he met Doc Rivers, who invited him to become an Assistant for the Boston Celtic team that would go on to win the 2008 NBA Championship.

Today, Kevin Eastman is both an in-demand public speaker and an author, having published the terrific book “Why the Best Are the Best: 25 Powerful Words That Impact, Inspire, and Define Champions”.

As you would expect from a respected public speaker, Kevin shared a number of poignant and interesting points during our interview - far too many for me to list here. I will, however, mention a few of the key highlights I took from our conversation, including:

- The most important question that he believes great teams challenge themselves with, and why he thinks that sacrifice is not just about what you give up, but rather what you choose to do for someone else.

- Kevin’s acronym, TIPS, which he uses to illustrate what all teams (both sporting and corporate) need to be doing to be at their best.
(I’ll let you listen to the interview to hear his great explanation in full, but I will tell you that TIPS stands for Truth, Intentionality, Preparation and Standards)

- The concept of Ubuntu, which is an African term embracing 2 key ideas: ‘people are people because of other people’, and that ‘I can only be all I can be if you are all you can be’. This idea, according to Kevin, is one that he has used to form the foundations of connection within his teams.

I really recommend taking the time to sit down and listen to this one in full - there’s a lot you’ll want to make a note of in it!

Thriving Teams: Free Diagnostic

A great number of you have already given our Thriving Teams diagnostic a go, and I would love to hear how you’ve been getting on with implementing the Thrive model in your teams and groups.

Back in 2022, we were challenged by two Great Coaches to find a model for team leadership that aligned with the insights and advice that we’ve gathered from over 200 interviews with Great Coaches from across the world of sports.

After a lot of research and investigation, we discovered the Thrive model - a model that encompasses six integral elements for achieving the success and well-being of your team.

We’ll continue to focus on the topic of Thriving Teams on our podcast and social media posts for the next few weeks, but if you really want to make the most of the Thrive model, you’ll want to head over to our website to try our free, simple diagnostic which uses 18 questions to identify how close your team is to thriving, and (importantly) what can be done to improve.

Thriving Workshops

In addition to the podcast episodes and diagnostic tool, we’re taking things even deeper with our Thriving Teams workshops, offered both virtually and live. Some workshops can even include the participation of the Great Coaches that we have interviewed. 

For leaders who really want to move their teams closer to Thriving, we’re also offering individual coaching sessions. 

For more information, please get in touch at this address:　[email protected]

Leadership Insights

Mark Zimmerman is the co-author of "Winner's Mindset", an Amazon #1 best-selling book. He's also a professional mindset and performance coach, helping leaders and teams in sport and business to think, act, and deliver like champions.

But what exactly does "mindset" mean?

Listen to Mark explain it in his own words in this clip from our interview.

If you like this, you can find more than 1200 other insight videos on our website, covering a variety of leadership topics such as setting up new team cultures, establishing team values, or helping others with their inner voice.

Partners

This newsletter is brought to you by Macquarie University Business School’s MBA program. Designed to empower, challenge and transform, the Macquarie MBA gives you the business skills and knowledge you need to succeed in an evolving global economy.

Find out more: https://www.mq.edu.au/macquarie-business-school/

Elevate Your Leadership

We believe there is no algorithm for leadership, but there are ways to elevate your leadership style. 

With decades of combined leadership experience across multiple countries and companies, there are very few challenges Grant, Paul and Zuzana haven’t experienced first-hand. 

They can help coach you move towards the leader you aspire to be. 

Get in touch at [email protected] to find out more.

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If you have any feedback or if you would like to speak to us directly feel free to contact us at [email protected].