NBA Finals season is here and BigSpeak EVP Ken Sterling has compiled a list of inspiring quotes from legendary players and coaches. These powerful insights have influenced his own career and can benefit any organization seeking success. Check them out in his latest Inc article!

Previously published on Inc: 

5 Things Great Basketball Teams Have in Common With Great Businesses 

Success is about mindset, culture, and teamwork.

Shooting hoops and sales calls might not seem to have a lot in common. However, both require teamwork and a positive mindset. Great basketball players and business teams need to know how to work together to succeed. It’s not just about making that last amazing shot at the buzzer,  it’s also about building culture, working together, and cultivating a resilient mindset.

Since it’s the NBA finals season, I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes from great players and coaches whom I admire. Their insights have inspired me in my life and can be applied to any business or organization.

1. Teamwork

Great teams and great businesses both focus on the essentials of teamwork. No one expresses how teamwork is done better than Mike Brown, two-time NBA Coach of the Year and current Head Coach of the Sacramento Kings: 

“I’m going to preach from day 1, they have to have communication, they have to give effort, and they’ve got to trust one another.”

This is why my company’s philosophy is COACH, with the first ‘C’standing for communication and the second ‘C’ standing for collaboration.

2. Ask for Help

Teams work well together because they help each other out. That’s why it’s okay to ask for help if you need it. In fact, you should ask for help because that’s better for you and your team.

This philosophy is best expressed by NBA champion Metta World Peace and current advocate for mental health: “It’s okay if you need help. If you have to address issues.”

This is why my company offers days off for health and wellness and why we have an open-door policy so leaders can jump in to help the team when they are overwhelmed.

3. Resilient Mindset

Great teams foster players with a resilient mindset. This mindset is best summed up by Coach Kara Lawson, a WNBA champion and the Duke Women’s basketball coach.

Kara says, “We all wait in life for things to get easier. It will never get easier. What happens is you handle hard better.”

This is why my company offers a budget for people to train and work on their personal development. We also paid for an emotional intelligence workshop for employees to handle difficult situations better.

4. Positive Culture

When it comes to working well together, you need to have a positive culture. Everyone is nice to each other when things go well. But you also have to be good to one another when things don’t go well. This philosophy is expressed best by Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr:

“If you can’t maintain your culture during the down times, then you don’t really have a culture. It’s just dependent on winning. The culture has to survive losing stretches.”

This is why my company does an offsite so we can not only work on our company strategy but also cultivate our personal relationships.

5. Commitment

Finally, in order to have a successful business or team, you need to be committed. You can’t do things halfway and expect to do well. 

NBA Champion Magic Johnson best sums up commitment with this advice he got from his father: “Do this job halfway, and you’ll be a halfway ball player and do things halfway in life.”

This is why my company has trial periods for people starting the job to see if they are committed. If they are committed, they stay. If the job isn’t for them, we support them in finding a better fit elsewhere.

So remember, teams in basketball and business aren’t all that different. You need to focus on teamwork, ask for help when you need it, cultivate a resilient mindset, build a positive culture, and commit one hundred percent.

I would love to hear the quotes that inspire you.