Geno Auriemma Coaches UCONN to 3rd Straight Title. Who have you coached to win?
The UCONN women beat Notre Dame for the third year in a row. Whiile #23 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis’s did most of the scoring, the 65-53 win was attributed to Breanna Stewart’s “take-over-the-world performance.” Breanna did three things that demonstrate exceptional leadership:
- Humility. When she was awarded MVP, she was quick to recognize teammates like Lewis and Moriah Jefferson.
- Attitude. She doesn’t seek glory (points) but does whatever it takes to get the job done. “If I can help through scoring, I’ll do that. But I want to make sure I’m having an impact in other ways – whether it’s rebounding or blocking shots, or just making the offense think about where I am defensively.” [ESPN]
- Focus. Stewart was focused on the goal. Even when she turned her ankle, she was out for only a minute before returning to the game and giving it her all.
Breanna was a dominant force, but she was only one player on a well-prepared team. Geno said it himself: “I knew what we were doing in October and November wasn’t going to be good enough to get what they wanted.” But grit, determination and working hard does have a payoff.
This team was led by someone who coached them beyond what they thought they were capable of. The genius of Geno was to expect the best of his team, then step back and let them prove they could do it. Now that’s leadership. That’s teamwork.
Who have you coached to win lately?
As the CEO & Founder of East Tenth Group, Michelle leverages 25 years of business and experience as a strategic advisor and executive coach to help drive actionable people solutions and provide practical insights on business strategy to senior leaders. she and her team and are fiercely committed to the development and growth of people and companies because we believe that when people thrive, business thrives.
