Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is the most recent sensation in basketball (NBA) and has
been playing for the Golden State Warriors since 2009. He holds the
record for most number of 3 pointers, the most number of points in a
single season and also has been awarded the MVP (most valuable player)
for consecutive season 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Why Curry?
Surfing through his game footage at first gives one an impression that he
may be one of the best players in the game but may not quite back up
with leadership. This is because he never calls the team together, never
shouts out instructions when the team is down or doing well, either from
the bench or when he is playing. Also his celebrations and his fiddling with
the mouthguard project an arrogant attitude to amateur viewers.
Quite contrarily, after carefully analyzing his interviews and his
explanations for why he practices such behavior, coupled with his
teammates and coaches comments about him, I find that he is in fact, a
very effective leader both on and off the court. This is the primary reason
behind me choosing Curry for my research.
The Character Sketch of his Communication
Arrogant? Depends
The coach Kerr describes Curry as humble yet arrogant, arrogant on the
court and humble everywhere else. This tells us that his arrogant attitude
on court is a necessity in a basketball game to throw off the opposition.
That he must have developed this over the years to become a true
champion.
Poor On-court Leadership? Not Quite
Despite probably being the best shooter in basketball history, one will
barely see Curry directing or ordering his teammates during a game, but
that his because he understands that there is someone else in the teamDraymond Brown who has the natural ability to motivate the team. Curry
lets him do the fiery castigating which in turn enables himself to
concentrate on his game. Kobe Bryant, another great, during his early
days was very vocal and too direct in criticism of his teammates during a
game which may not have ultimately helped the teams cause. Curry
understands his role in the team perfectly and backed it up with excellent
non-verbal communication skills It is evident through his videos that he
focuses on becoming a good basketball player rather than a basketball
star which draws further admiration from his teammates and increases
their willingness to work together as a team.
Team-Player

His coach often implements a rotation policy so that all players were well
rested at different stages in the season and curry unlike other top players
never objects whenever he is benched. This installs a sense of confidence
within his team as he is sending out a message that he has faith in his
teammates to finish the job and is also willing to accommodate
youngsters in his team who need more game time for experience. Lebron
James, another legend plays almost every match for his team Cleveland,
more so because his coach and teammates fear a backlash from him.
Off-court Leadership
Currys teammates take notice of the extra hours of training, another form
of non-verbal communication, that he puts in and they are literally
amazed and spurred on at the same time to train harder. He conducts
himself elegantly in the public with a calm demeanor, being forever
gracious and accommodating despite having a massive fan following.
He called on Green as the real voice of the team and another fellow
teammate Harisson as a huge catalyst to their success during his MVP
acceptance speech. Curry thus demonstrates that someone who is aware
of his teams strengths and skills, and who helps to bring out the best in
others too is an example of a great leader.
The Interviews
Apart from his inspirational statements, he makes everyone aware that
basketball is just a game after all. He quoted: Theres more to life than
basketball. The most important thing is your family and taking care of
each other and loving each other no matter what. He understands that
he is an inspiration to and followed by many and utilizes this power to
make people realize the importance of family, teamwork, faith in God,
cherishing the small things in life rather than simply talking about passion
and hard work.
Here are a few more such quotes:
I do a little sign on the court every time I make a shot or a good pass
and I pound my chest and point to the sky- it symbolizes that I have a
heart for God. Its something that my mom and I came up with in college
and I do it every time I step on the floor as a reminder of who Im playing
for.
I really cherish everything that basketball brings; and I think, for me, its
been a great ride and Im not done yet.
I try and use every game as an opportunity to witnessWhen I step on
the floor people should know who I represent, who I believe in.
Humility
When Lebron James said it out loud that he was the best player in the
game after losing a match, Stephen Curry is one such player who
downplayed his own contribution to his team taking virtually zero credit
for any of his accomplishments in an interview held moments after they
had won the championship.

In his MVP acceptance speech, he acknowledged everyones importance

right from the Warriors equipment manager, security and every other
team member. The people can only respect such an approach to life and
are inspired to follow such thoughtful and considerate lives themselves,
ensuring that they never take anything for granted.
He enlisted the importance and the effect of organizations, schools and
family on his life in the hour long speech and also named his teammates
individually and how each one of them helped him through their unique
qualities in enriching his life. One can definitely conclude that Curry can
only be adored by all and is slowly etching his way of life into peoples
minds.
Curry also tries to be as approachable to everyone as possible as he takes
his position as a role model extremely seriously taking cues from his
fathers playing days and how the fans went crazy when his father used to
acknowledge their presence and talk to them.
Lessons learnt from Stephen Curry
1. Strong effective leadership may not always come from having a
dynamic personality or delivering motivating speeches but can also
arise from different forms of non-verbal communication,
understanding the dynamics of the team and tailoring your own role
to achieve the best for the team, having and displaying faith in team
members, commanding respect by acknowledgement of other
peoples talent, skills, hard work, etc. and embracing the
responsibilities of a role model and projecting important values out
towards the audience.
2. Respect your roots, remember the hard work that you have put in to
be where you are now and also the contribution of the people
around you and let them know about it.
3. Never take anything for granted, cherish the little things in life and
feel blessed for the position you are in currently.
4. Always take the bigger picture into consideration rather than living
inside your own small world.
Qualities Id like to Imbibe
Me, being an introvert and not quite being the guy who delivers
outstanding motivational speeches am able to relate to Stephen Currys
personality, leadership and communication manner.
I would like to be as humble, as appreciative of others, as respectful, and
as committed to spreading goodwill while being a leader.

Links
https://decker.com/blog/tag/stephen-curry/
https://youtu.be/omsaZEK1wwc
https://youtu.be/fvJl02AziO0
http://fortune.com/2016/03/24/steph-curry-steve-kerr-golden-state-warriors-greatleaders/
http://maribrandsforyou.com/what-stephen-curry-can-teach-us-about-leadership/
http://www.inc.com/marissa-levin/what-all-great-leaders-have-in-common-with-nbamvp-steph-curry.html