On 20 June 2013, we announced the signing of Trevor Gleeson as the new head coach of the Perth Wildcats. The recruitment process behind that milestone is a book chapter on its own.
Buried at the end of a couple of news stories was a paraphrased line from the club that went something like this: “Gleeson’s hard-working, honest and humble nature was a key reason for his appointment.”
A similar sentiment underlaid the series of player and staff recruitments for the preceding four years… and the following four.
Honesty. Humility. Hard work.
Parallel patterns were forming: personnel who had not previously experienced championship success in the NBL, usually unknown and well below market value.
Most notable was what followed—unlikely team success (Rob Beveridge, Trevor Gleeson, Damian Martin, James Ennis, Casey Prather, Bryce Cotton): four championships in eight years, alongside individual success (Olympics—Kevin Lisch, Shawn Redhage, Sammy Whitcomb*Lynx).
What were the learnings?
Character over competency. Culture over talent. Team over individual. Human-centric leadership. Maximising strengths. Clarity of purpose. Recognising and rewarding aspirational behaviours.
For almost a decade now, we’ve been testing the principles that worked in the locker room in staff rooms and boardrooms across various types of organisations to see if they transition.
What we have witnessed is that they are just as valid in team environments off the court—but not necessarily in individual pursuits, whether in sport or otherwise.
How, then, do we put them to work in the workplace?
1. People – Character – Culture Augmentation
Only recruit people who pass the character test, regardless of individual talent or competency.
Character-Culture Augmentation: You want the individual’s character not only to meet but to improve your team’s culture.
Our 3H-5G framework on character requires individuals to pass baseline thresholds on Honesty, Humility and Hard Work, as well as score above the median on Goodness values such as Fairness, Empathy, Kindness, Patience and Generosity.
We now have a fully automated AI online tool for this, having conducted over 3,000 tests over the last five years: https://marvinscout.com
2. Purpose – Mission – Contribution Alignment
Where a team has clarity of mission—especially where that mission is aspirational and, most importantly, can authentically connect an individual’s contribution to it—you have alignment.
Human beings need to understand how their work matters.
Legacy: Finding synchronicity between individual efforts and team efforts—mission alignment.
Learning: Working environments that increase one’s learning and ability, where work is positively challenging. Development opportunities aligned with career aspirations.
Voice: Feeling heard, where your opinion and insights are listened to and valued.
Choice: Flexibility in how (and more recently where) work is done, and autonomy within boundaries.
When employees connect their daily tasks to the broader mission, engagement naturally follows. This connection must be reinforced throughout their journey, not just during induction.
3. Performance – Maximising Strengths, Supporting Weaknesses
Position descriptions outline baseline expectations, but exceptional performance emerges when roles leverage individual strengths. These usually fall across four key domains:
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- Social strengths: Relationship building and collaboration capabilities
- Creative strengths: Innovation and problem-solving approaches
- Diligence strengths: Consistency, attention to detail and follow-through
- Team strengths: Contribution styles and collective effectiveness
Rather than HR rhetoric, team performance really works when strengths are maximised and weaknesses supported.
We call it the miracle of teams: As individuals we are limited by our greatest weakness, but on a team we can perform to our greatest strength.
This only works, however, when individuals commit to performing to their strengths and are held accountable for it. Then the scoreboard (team results) will reflect the scoresheet (individual efforts).
4. Communication & Candour
Understanding both communication modalities (auditory, visual, kinaesthetic and writing) and emotional dimensions (calmness, resilience, sentimentality and prudence) is essential.
Communication Modalities: Recognising how team members prefer to receive and process information.
Emotional Awareness:
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- Calmness: Ability to maintain composure under pressure
- Resilience: Capacity to recover from setbacks
- Sentimentality: Emotional connection to work and colleagues
- Prudence: Thoughtful decision-making and risk assessment
Effective workplace relationships require both appropriate communication channels and emotional awareness. Understanding these dimensions enables managers to tailor their communication style and provide appropriate support during challenging periods.
It is the responsibility of the leader or coach to be understood—not the other way around.
5. Full Engagement – Reward and Recognition
Full engagement requires more than an annual review or bonus. Ongoing recognition and reward ensures continual feedback loops for micro-adjustments and constant calibration.
Rewarded behaviours are often repeated.
Recognition must be specific, authentic and frequent. Generic praise loses impact; targeted appreciation for particular contributions reinforces desired behaviours and strengthens culture.
Practising these five principles is as important when someone joins the team as it is during their tenure—despite the temptation to abandon them due to familiarity or seemingly more urgent distractions.