What every entrepreneur can learn from the leadership kind of NCAA coach Dawn Staley

As a South Carolina native and a pacesetter in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), I can safely say that NCAA coach Dawn Staley isn’t any strange leader. From her time as an Olympic gold-winning basketball player to her role as a coach leading the South Carolina Gamecocks to an undefeated 38-0 season, Staley has so much to show us about what it takes to be consistent and successful in a competitive environment.

It’s easy to attribute Staley’s success as a former athlete and coach to “luck,” nevertheless it’s anything but that. Staley has invested in DEI, leadership, and mentorship for her team and herself – all of which I consider have contributed to her record-breaking wins through the years.

Who is Dawn Staley?

Dawn Staley is an American basketball coach and player who was inducted into the Hall of Fame. She has played on all sides of the court, was a three-time Olympic gold medalist and was also the pinnacle coach of a gold medal winning team. Due to her incredible record of success, she is currently (and rightly) the highest paid black coach in women’s basketball. But that is not all she is.

Related: Companies are deprioritizing DEI. Why they shouldn’t and the way they’ll get back into it.

Staley advocates for equal pay

While many firms and organizations are pulling back on their investments in gender equality, others are doubling down and reaping big rewards. Knowing all too well the pay gap between the ladies’s and men’s basketball leagues, Staley is a fearless advocate for pay equity for herself and her players. A lawyer was present when negotiating her record-breaking contract to make sure she was getting the fairest financial deal possible.

After receiving her well-deserved financial contribution, she was generous enough to share the wealth. She is alleged to have awarded all of the trainers of the Black Division 1 a component of their net income from a previous championship to convey the message that when one among us wins, all of us win.

Related: Why paying women equal pay helps – not hurts – your small business

Staley understands the ability of mentorship

Entrepreneurs from all walks of life have cited mentorship – given or received – as a reason for his or her current business success. Staley knows she needs her team as much because the team needs her, and that requires mentoring. She has all the time been a force on the court and a voice of reason and leadership for her team, passing on what she has learned for the good thing about everyone round her.

Staley has made it clear what a symbiotic relationship she has along with her players. Staley told a Oklahoma-based newspaper“I don’t coach to win awards, quite the opposite. I’m very, very happy just being there for my players.” Having led her team to quite a few victories and been there with them every step of the way in which, Staley continues to prove that mentoring is an important a part of any leader and team’s success.

Related: Are you leading a black woman? How to develop into her success partner and ally.

Staley knows how vital it’s to be present in every role – big or small

From her time as a player to her current position as a nationally recognized coach, Staley has proven that there isn’t a role too big or too small. In the early stages of a business, most entrepreneurs know full well that they are going to must wear multiple hats over months and sometimes years to realize the outcomes they desire.

Staley knows this balancing act well. Supporting her teammates on the court is a job that requires consistency, collaboration and resilience. As a coach, however, she has been given the tools to construct trust, empower others and delegate. Whether she is a teammate or a coach, she fully immerses herself in her role and it pays off to have her hands full along with her team.

Staley knows the way to construct a team and mobilize them for a typical goal

While it might seem to be the proper team fell into Staley’s lap, nothing could possibly be farther from the reality. She struggled to show a team with a passable track record right into a solid and consistently competitive unit. This season, Staley even had to switch your entire starting lineup and was still in a position to lead them back to the semifinals. That was no accident. It was the results of creating and fostering a foundation of excellent team constructing and trust.

Staley selects players who understand what it means to work hard toward a typical goal. When firms hire team members, they often search for “cultural fit” and choose the applicant with probably the most impressive resume or the perfect academic credentials.

What they often fail to consider, nevertheless, is the upbringing and values ​​that every recent hire brings. In the past, Staley has emphasized her philosophy of only recruiting players who respect their parents, stating that a player who doesn’t respect his parents is not going to respect his coach. Staley strategically built a team of players whose values ​​were aligned with constructing a trusting and respectful relationship with their coach. As we will see, her selective selection had a positive impact on her team’s performance and sense of togetherness.

Related: Escaping the Sea of ​​Sameness: How Culture-Driven Hiring Improves DEI

Final thoughts

The South Carolina Gamecocks’ winning streak is anything but a fluke. Working as a coach after being a player herself is a priceless asset and puts Staley in a powerful position from which to steer others. It shows that Staley has been through all of it and knows the trail to success because she experienced it as a player first. Additionally, her ability to place herself in her team’s shoes is a type of empathy, a key pillar of DEI. Building on that empathy, she was in a position to construct trust after fastidiously choosing team members who possessed the values ​​and resilience crucial to actually respect the sport, their coach, their teammates, and themselves. Dawn Staley exemplifies what strong leadership looks like by advocating for herself and others to work toward DEI, resilience, and excellence.