What can we learn from Gregg Popovich about leadership? Our 4 favorite lessons

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Gregg Popovich stepped down from his coaching duties on Friday, moving into a full-time role in the teams front office.

Advertisement In 29 seasons, Popovich guided the Spurs to five NBA championships, won a record 1,466 games in the regular season and left a legacy as one of the best leaders in NBA history , a culture builder who transformed San Antonio into a model franchise.

These are four of our favorite Popovich leadership lessons: Notice and reward the little things DerMarr Johnson played in just five games for the Spurs during the 2007-08 season.

He was a journeyman, and in one of his first games, he entered in the second quarter, scored seven or eight points, and then didnt play again.

But after the game, Popovich delivered a message to the team: They won that night because of Johnsons minutes in the second quarter.

He gave me that recognition, Johnson said.

Popovich was famously blunt and direct.

He could also be warm, encouraging the players at the bottom of the roster.

Before Keith Langford played his first game, Popovich reassured him: Just be yourself, Keith.

When the Spurs acquired Australian center Andrew Gaze in 1999, Popovich made it clear why.

Pop liked the joy with which I played, Gaze said.

He liked the way I interacted with my teammates.

He liked the way I was around to watch other games.

It wasnt the jump shot or the points.

It was almost like he was watching these other things that were just as important.

Dont be afraid of the road less traveled Popovichs first head-coaching job came at Pomona-Pitzer, now Pomona College, a Division III program in Southern California.

He went 2-22 his first year and had five losing seasons in his first seven years.

His career wasnt going anywhere, so he did something radical: In his late 30s, he took a sabbatical in Lawrence, Kan., where he spent a school year shadowing Kansas coach Larry Brown.

Popovichs free-spirited wisdom caught the attention of the other coaches, including a young assistant named R.C.

Buford.

Popovich, then in his late 30s, soaked up knowledge from Brown, competed in intramural basketball and offered life-changing advice to a graduate assistant named Bill Bayno.

Advertisement We were all young, Bayno recalled.

I was 23.

There were beautiful girls on campus.

...

So we would all go out and party, and we would talk about marriage, and I remember Pop giving me this long lecture on marriage.

He said, Bayno, Im going to give you some advice.

Before you get married, I dont care how much in love you are with the girl, youve got to interview five married couples.

Interview a newlywed couple.

Interview a couple thats been married for two to three years; for seven to 10 years; for 15 or 20 years and for 25 or more years.

Bayno understood the lesson: Learn different perspectives.

Do your homework.

Then go for it.

Hold people accountable and push them to their personal best Popovich wasnt afraid to lay into players, but the way he treated everyone the same stuck with many.

Consider this story from Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who played just three games for the Spurs in 2008-09.

I was playing in a game, and I messed up a defensive assignment, Mensah-Bonsu said.

He takes me out of the game, yells at me and sends me to the end of the bench.

...The next quarter, Tim Duncan literally makes the same mistake.

I was assuming that Pop would just leave him in.

But he subs him out and yells at Tim Duncan the exact same way and sends him to the bench right next to me.

Timmys response summed up their relationship and how the Spurs have been successful for so many years.

He looked at him and said, Youre right, Coach, and sat right down next to me on the bench.

That summed up my whole experience in San Antonio.

Love and trust your people On one of his first road trips, former Spur James White was invited to sit next to Popovich.

White was nervous.

What were they going to talk about? But then he started talking to me about my family, my background, asking questions about who I am as a person, White said.

Advertisement Popovich loved taking players out for meals.

He also liked handing out books, once giving Mensah-Bonsu a copy of Ta-Nehisi Coates book, Between the World and Me.

Its powerful because it came from him, Mensah-Bonsu said.

Its not something you open one time.

Its something Im going to refer to for the rest of my life.

When things werent going right, Popovich would often call a timeout and say nothing at all.

Hes the only coach that I ever played for, former Spurs forward Tony Massenburg said, that when things werent going right in the game, hed call a timeout and just say, You guys figure it out.

You know whats going on out there.

You guys fix it.

Shawnelle Scott played a total of 27 games for Popovich.

And yet, a few years ago, this is what he said: I cant wait to see him again and just tell him, Thank you.

Thank you for giving me the mindset.

Thanks for letting me be there and consume all this basketball knowledge and all these really quality characteristics.

Thats the best part.

You talk about two masters degrees later, man.

The whole Pop mindset is youre striving for excellence.

You have to try to do your absolute best.

Youre talking about two masters degrees later.

I dont know if I would have had the mindset to do that if I didnt play for the Spurs for that one year.

For a deeper dive into Popovichs unique leadership style, read this story from Jason Quick (Photo by Justin Tafoya / Getty Images).

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