What Makes a Leader Valuable? 7 Qualities of Dallas Mavericks Superstar Luka Dončić as told Through the Eyes of Head Coach Jason Kidd

After the Dallas Mavericks Game 2 109-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team’s superstar Luka Dončić was having his post-game press conference.  Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Sam Amick was able to corner the team’s head coach Jason Kidd in the adjoining tunnel.

Kidd, a Hall of Fame player himself, provided Amick a unique perspective of the athletic greatness of Luka.  You can read the full article by clicking HERE.  Kidd’s viewpoints are a gift to you and I as leaders.  I felt the coach’s insights provided a template for all leaders wanting to create value for themselves and their organizations.

The following are seven qualities of Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić, told through the eyes of head coach Jason Kidd, which make him the centerpiece of the organization.  These same qualities, if implemented, will make you valuable as well.

Luka Is Versatile

He has a wide-array of skills and can do more than one thing.  This allows him to add value to the organization in a number of areas.  Kidd said, “But when you look at his game, I don’t know what you can nitpick about.  He can post up.  He can pass.”  Later Kidd noted, “He can take and make any shot.  He can pass like no other.”

Luka Has Passion

He owns the result.  Kidd added, “He has this fire that I think sometimes can be taken out of context.  It’s just understanding that he wants to win.”

Speaking of owning the result, this leads to the next point.

Luka Has Courage

Kidd continues, “He’s not scared of nobody, and sometimes that can scare people.”

In fact, his level up courage is up there with some of the game’s greats.  Kidd added, “But when you talk about the stage — Ky (Irving), Luka, Dirk (Nowitzki) — the great ones aren’t scared.”

Luka definitely isn’t afraid of the stage and proved this by hitting the game-winning shot of Game 2 with only three seconds remaining.  Watch below.

Luka Has Great Listening Skills

The most under-rated leadership skill is listening skills.  Luka is proficient in this area.  Kidd noted, “He’s very observant.  He has those Dumbo ears.  He hears everything.  He hears the guy in the front row, and the 20th row.”

Luka Is Self-Motivated

Effective listening allows you to gather maximum information, but it is what you do with that knowledge that matters most?  Luka uses it to motivate himself.

Remember those people Kidd mentioned in the front and 20th rows, he pointed out, “He will find that person, and that will motivate him. I’ve seen that with GP (Gary Payton).  GP will find that fan to fire him up, and then once he’s fired up, it’s on.  And then the coaches just sit back, because now the fan has done their part.”

As leaders we must ask ourselves, what are we doing with the information we gather?

Luka Has High Intelligence

This speaks to competence.  Give me two equally-talented people and I will take the smarter one every time.  Kidd, one of the smartest players in NBA history, observed Luka’s “IQ is extremely high.”   That is quite a compliment considering the source.

Luka Is Resilient

Leadership is not easy.  Trails, tribulations, and failures are part of the journey.  It is how you bounce back from these obstacles that determine your success.

Kidd summed up Luka’s unique approach to the game by saying, “If you miss that shot, he’ll be like, ‘Look, my bad. You guys got me where we needed to go, and I needed to deliver.’  It’s pretty cool to watch.”

Conclusion

Versatility, Passion, Courage, Listening Skills, Self-Motivation, High Intelligence, and Resilience.

If you possess these seven traits, you will be pretty to cool to watch as well.

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