What makes great teams great? That’s the question Wall Street Journal deputy editor Sam Walker answers in his new book, The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams. His answer surprised everyone, including himself. The secret to winning isn’t talent, coaching, strategy, or money. It is the presence of a singular leader—those who make up Walker’s captain class. But these leaders aren’t the charismatic superstars you might expect. So who are they? On this episode, Sam breaks down the seven characteristics of great leaders and challenges our assumptions of what real leadership looks like.
Follow Sam: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Show Notes
- The question that inspired Sam’s book, The Captain Class (1:49)
- The methodology he used to determine the world’s greatest teams (3:58)
- The one thing that elite teams have in common (7:30)
- The seven characteristics of great leaders (9:35)
- Reevaluating how we select leaders in the business world (13:15)
- The importance of emotional dexterity (18:05)
- How to show appreciation (20:28)
- The Steve Jobs management style example (22:55)
- The key to enduring success (25:14)
- Tim Duncan’s leadership style and the idea of “carrying water” (27:51)
- The glue guy who holds the Golden State Warriors together (29:33)
- The relationship between Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan (30:26)
- How coaches and leaders can identify the right captain (33:01)
- How task conflict can be healthy inside of a team environment (41:29)
- The biggest misperception people have about leadership (46:14)
Resources / People Mentioned
- The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams (book)
- The Wall Street Journal- Sports
- New England Patriots
- San Francisco 49ers
- Chicago Bulls
- Michael Jordan
- Boston Celtics
- San Antonio Spurs
- Cuba women’s national volleyball team
- Bill Belichick
- Tom Brady
- Gregg Popovich
- Tim Duncan
- Alex Ferguson
- Roy Keane
- Richie McCaw
- New Zealand All Blacks
- Steve Jobs
- Kevin Durant
- Golden State Warriors
- Andre Iguodala
- Stephen Curry
- Brazil national football team
- Pele
- Hilderado Bellini
- The pain of independence
- Valeri Vasilyev
- Soviet Union national ice hockey team
- Carla Overbeck
- 1999 U.S. Women’s World Cup team
- Mia Hamm
- Julie Foudy
- Brandi Chastain
- Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (book)
- Carles Puyol
- Drew Bledsoe
- Secretariat
- The Belmont Stakes
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Geno Auriemma on Winning (And Winning Some More)
- Andy Stanley on 5 Characteristics of Leaders Worth Following
- Kat Cole on Authentic Leadership
Thanks for checking out Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes and leave a rating or review!