“I need you,” Mark Cuban said at their first meeting. “I need you to come in and transform the culture.”
After Sports Illustrated exposed a “corrosive workplace culture” at the Dallas Mavericks in early 2018, owner Mark Cuban called Cynt Marshall.
Marshall, a 36-year veteran of AT&T, ultimately came out of retirement to take on the challenge and become the NBA’s first African American female CEO. In less than a year, she effectively turned around a toxic environment that had been festering for over two decades.
Where would you start such a turnaround? Fire senior leaders and replace them? Unveil a new set of organizational values? Cast your vision for a new way of working?
Cynt Marshall started by cultivating trust. She realized getting a new boss is stressful. Getting a new boss in a time of crisis is terrifying.
People are important to Marshall. You can hear this core value echo in her leadership philosophy: “Listen to the people; learn from the people, and love them as people.”
The first thing Cynt Marshall chose to do after becoming CEO was to meet privately with each employee. The agenda was the same for every meeting:
- Tell me your whole life story.
- Tell me where you see yourself personally and professionally in 5 years.
Meeting with everyone first and listening to their stories and dreams conveyed Marshall’s core values (Authenticity) and her genuine care for individuals (Benevolence).
After the meetings, she rolled out a 100-day plan (Competence) informed by her many conversations. Over the coming weeks and months, she stayed consistent and kept her promises (Dependability).
Cynt Marshall possessed and displayed all four elements of trustworthiness—authenticity, benevolence, competence, and dependability.
Today the Dallas Mavericks are enjoying an inclusive culture in the back office while the team has made the playoffs three of the last four years.
For Reflection: Whose story do you need to ask about tomorrow?
Update: 70% Proposal Complete
With over 60,000 words written, I’m currently focusing on putting my book proposal together. I got bogged down this past week with other work and made zero progress on the proposal. The second time I’ve had to admit that to you. Only means I’ll be doubling efforts this next week. I hope you appreciate my honesty as much as I appreciate your accountability!
9/10 Content (10%)
9/10 Market (10%)
4/5 Author (5%)
18/25 Synopsis (25%)
30/50 Sample Chapters (50%)
70/100 Total (100%)
