What the Valkyries Championship Teaches Us About Leadership at Work

The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68–63 in Game 7 to win a championship in their second season. As a fan, I am proud. As an educator, entrepreneur, and leader, I see something in this team that deserves our attention well beyond basketball.

We should be talking about the kind of workplace that helped make this possible.

After the win, Gabby Williams said, “It was so easy to come to work every single day, and that's what I came for.”

That stayed with me. Here is an athlete competing at the highest level, talking about the experience of showing up to work. The people. The energy. The feeling of being somewhere she wanted to be.

I have spent more than 20 years in cosmetology and education. I have trained employees in transportation, taught students preparing for their careers, and built a business. Across those environments, I keep coming back to the same belief: how we lead people affects what they are able and willing to give.

Teaching at Laney College in Oakland makes this personal for me. Our students are building futures while managing the responsibilities of the lives they already have. For a student balancing school with work, parenting, transportation, or financial pressure, getting to class can require planning and sacrifice that never appear on a transcript.

Oakland deserves to be seen through the ambition and talent of the people building their lives here. Our students bring creativity, skill, and determination. Their challenges deserve our attention, and so do the decisions they make every day to keep moving forward.

Success takes shape in those decisions: arranging a ride, protecting time to study, asking for help, practicing a technique again, accepting feedback, or returning after a difficult day. Choosing a long-term goal can mean giving up paid hours today or rearranging family responsibilities. Those choices carry real weight. We should recognize the discipline behind them.

As an educator, I want to hold students to standards that prepare them for a profession and understand what it takes for them to meet those standards. A clear explanation, timely feedback, or help finding the right resource can make a difference. Students are responsible for their choices. We are responsible for how we teach, how fairly we lead, and whether we make support accessible. Success takes effort from both sides.

Coach Natalie Nakase explained part of her approach this way: “Hire good people, and then you're gonna enjoy working here. Because everyone works hard.”

I hear care and accountability in that statement. Both belong in a strong workplace. People should know what is expected, have the tools to do it, and trust that the expectations apply fairly.

Natalie brought an incredible work ethic to that responsibility. Reporting on her late-night film sessions shows how seriously she took the preparation behind the performance. She was putting in the work she expected from her players. [6]

We are quick to say this new generation does not want to work. Watching these women, I think we need to question that assumption. The younger players, alongside their veteran teammates, kept showing up, accepting coaching, and contributing to something bigger than themselves. Their commitment deserves to be part of the conversation, too.

That connects directly to how I think about our students. Before we dismiss a generation’s work ethic, we should look at the effort they are making and the environment we are asking them to work in. High expectations mean more when the person setting them models the same commitment.

That is why “no ego” means so much to me. It means being confident enough to accept coaching, recognize someone else’s strength, and do what the moment requires. Sometimes you lead the play. Sometimes you create the opening that lets someone else finish it.

For me, the whole team was the superstar. Individual brilliance mattered, and so did the people making the pass, defending, preparing, coaching, and staying ready for their moment. The winning formula was no ego: put your talent to work for the team and make room for someone else’s talent to matter, too.

We can bring that approach into our workplaces. Share information. Explain decisions. Address problems directly and fairly. Let people contribute ideas without treating every suggestion as a challenge to authority. Celebrate someone’s success without making them feel guilty for standing out.

And invest in the people you expect to deliver.

Tiffany Hayes said it plainly after the championship: “This is just what happens when you invest in women's sports.”

That message belongs in this conversation. A positive attitude cannot supply missing equipment, replace adequate staffing, or create time for training. Leadership has to connect expectations with resources. If we want excellent work, we have to support the conditions that allow people to produce it.

Then, when success comes, share the recognition.

During the celebration, Joe Lacob said, “Natalie Nakase, Ohemaa Nyanin, and Jess Smith, those three women made this happen.”

He named the women who led the work. I appreciated that. People deserve to hear their contributions acknowledged, especially when their decisions and effort helped make the result possible.

I believe good leadership produces winning teams. It does not guarantee that every day goes smoothly or that every decision will be popular. It gives people a shared purpose, clear standards, and reasons to trust one another when things get difficult.

For those of us who teach, manage, coach, or own businesses, the opportunity is right in front of us. We can ask whether our daily decisions make it easier for people to do excellent work. We can listen to the answer and change what needs changing.

I want our Oakland students to enter workplaces that value the skills they have earned and the determination it took to get there. I want to build businesses where people feel proud of their contribution. And I want more leaders to understand that caring about people and expecting excellence can strengthen each other.

The Valkyries brought a championship to the Bay. What I take from their win is a challenge to every one of us who leads: build a team people are proud to belong to. Give them the support to succeed. Make room for everyone’s contribution.

We can love coming to work and still come ready to win. The formula I want us to carry forward is no ego, shared responsibility, and a commitment to doing the work together.

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