An awesome discussion in our office yesterday with a couple of Aussie basketball legends, with Brad Newley doing a great job interviewing Jack White.
I really enjoyed the conversation and thought I'd share some of my personal takeaways:
Overcoming adversity – Jack shared how he’d suffered a torn Achilles in his first season in the NBL. Jack spoke of the disappointment of having such a significant injury at the very start of his professional career, as well as his concern for the risk of losing some of the athleticism that makes him a special player. He endured and overcame by controlling what he could and working tirelessly on his recovery. Focus and dedication saw him come back in 9 months and you get the sense he’s stronger for overcoming the challenge. Whether we like it or not, we will all face forms of adversity in our lives. How we face up to that adversity, the actions we take, informs our chances to make the best of any situation and keep moving forward, ultimately growing from the experience.
Learning from Mentors – Jack spoke of his experience with Coach K at Duke, Dean Vickerman’s leadership as well as learning from the accomplished veteran players he’d always looked up to from Melbourne, like Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding and Brad Newley. By learning from others Jack shared that he expects that he has and will continue to make the most of his playing career. My observation is that those (in sport or business) that have the type of personality to want to learn from others, often later become great teachers and supporters of others down the track. This type of role model cycling is critical to foster in any organisation that wants to prosper over the long term.
Keeping a balanced perspective – Sports (and business) can have highs and lows. With Melbourne United most recently moving from a big loss against the Breakers at the start of November, to then delivering 2 big wins over the last few days, resulting in moving to the top of the NBL ladder. Jack spoke to staying balanced, focusing on the process and avoiding getting too high or low after a good or less good game. Jack mentioned the belief and culture that has been instilled within the United team that they can bounce back if they put the work in, and have a track record of doing so. I thought this was a really interesting point, as belief and culture often becomes intertwined as long as it informs constructive action.
Overall a great experience and we're very grateful that Jack and Brad gave us their time. Go United!
A big thank you to our special guests, Melbourne United basketball player Jack White and Commercial Executive Brad Newley, for speaking with our team.
During the Q&A session, Jack shared valuable insights into his success on the court, emphasising the importance of controlling the controllables, maintaining consistency through the highs and lows of sport, and surrounding himself with great people.
Our team gained a lot from this session, and we look forward to watching Jack’s career flourish as Melbourne United Basketball Club strives for another successful season. Go United!
#MelbourneUnited #ENGIE
