3 Takeaways from Nancy Lieberman on Respect, Communication & Mindset

“The most important thing is how to work together. Nobody who’s ever been great has ever done it by themselves.” 

That quote is from Nancy Lieberman, the Hall of Famer and former professional basketball player and WNBA coach who’s widely known as one of the all-time greatest figures in American basketball. 

Coach Lieberman recently joined 1Huddle’s Bring It In podcast, where she sat down with our CEO Sam Caucci to talk about mindset and the importance of teamwork, how to be an effective communicator, what it takes to be a truly great coach, and she even shared advice from her friend and mentor Muhammed Ali.

After listening to Coach Lieberman’s podcast episode, I was so impacted by what Coach Lieberman had to say that I felt inspired to share what I learned. So here are my three biggest takeaways from Coach Lieberman’s conversation with Sam:

1. FEAR NOTHING AND NOBODY.

One of the most powerful things Nancy said was: “I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid to play against men. I’m not afraid to coach men. I’m not afraid to win…I still have that dog in me.” 

Coming from the “Mama Mamba,” hearing this was not only was really cool, it was also super impactful. It reminds me of when Sam gives me a call and asks, “What do you stand for?” That question isn’t always easy to answer on the spot. But who wants easy? Coach Lieberman reinspired me to take some time and think about the question: What do you stand for? 

When I wake up every day, get my workout in and come into work, I think about doing the right thing, at the right time, all the time. Even from a positional standpoint, sometimes I think back to when I first started at 1Huddle. Initially, I was sometimes apprehensive to send that extra email, reach out to the CEO I’d been prospecting, or work late on a new project. But knowing we’re a company built on purpose that’s fighting for every worker helped me embrace pressure and stand behind our mission. 

I also look to the people who’ve shaped our country’s history; People like Muhammad Ali, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., and Shirley Chisholm, and I think, “these are people who made a choice every single day to stand for what they believe in. Do you choose the status quo, or do you choose to fight back?”

I want to be the person who stands up for what’s right, even when it isn’t popular. And that comes down to Coach Lieberman’s lesson of being unafraid.

2. BEING AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR IS A NECESSARY INGREDIENT FOR SUCCESS. 

What does it mean to be an effective communicator?

Becoming a truly effective communicator starts at home.

It starts with the person you’re next to “in life, in love, in business, in sports” as Coach Lieberman mentioned. If you can’t communicate with your coworkers, teammates, family members, or your partner, then how do you expect to be successful? 

No matter who you’re working with or for, we all have one thing in common: We’re human beings. And being a human means we all strive for connection. So knowing how to communicate with people in a way that brings them in is an essential skill for every worker and every person.

I know being a confident communicator isn’t easy.

When I first started at 1Huddle, I was nervous about ‘over-communicating’ with some prospects, but over the years I’ve learned that being consistent and fighting for what you want pays off. Just last week, I messaged a contact for what felt like the hundredth time. Even though it would have been easy to give up after this person didn’t respond to my first two or three attempts to reach out, I knew we could accomplish great things if we worked together, so I was willing to keep trying. 

After months of work, this person responded and said “Love your hustle, brother…I’m down to have a conversation with you just due to your sheer relentlessness.” It was such an empowering feeling to know that nothing is out of your reach if you try hard enough and truly dedicate yourself. Point being: when it doubt, keep communicating and good things will follow.

3. DO YOU MAKE PEOPLE AROUND YOU GOOD?

While talking with Sam, Coach Lieberman asked the pivotal question: “What can I do each day to help my team win?” 

This stuck with me because each week at 1Huddle we have a different “theme” that our team comes together to talk about. Last week, our theme was based around mindset. Sam asked every 1Huddle team member to ask themselves: Do you have a growth mindset, or a fixed mindset? 

Having a growth mindset is all about viewing obstacles as opportunities and having the ability to be coachable. Plus, the more you help your teammates, the better you actually get in the process. A growth mindset forces you to get better, which means you’re inherently helping the people around you become better too. 

Now that you’ve read my three takeaways, it’s time to give Nancy Lieberman’s Bring It In episode a listen. You won’t be disappointed. Once you listen, shoot me an email at oliver@1huddle.co and I’ll tell you one of the most impactful things Coach Lieberman said that didn’t make it into the podcast.