Top 5 team-building techniques from the GM of the Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace will be speaking at this week's John Molson Sports Business Conference. Here, he presents the Kia Player of the Month Award (January 2011) to power forward Zach Randolph, while Kia representative Steve Marsland and Grizz the mascot look on. | Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Chris Wallace, general manager and VP of basketball operations for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, is coming to Montreal this week for the sold-out 18th annual edition of the John Molson Sports Business Conference at Concordia University.
The three-day event is the largest student-run sports business conference in Canada. It’s on track to attract more than 250 student delegates from across the continent, as well as a roster of representatives from sports-related companies, television networks and all of the major North American sports leagues.
On November 7 to 9, Wallace will be joining a list of speakers that includes Ned Colletti, general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers; Kevin Gilmore, executive VP and COO of the Montreal Canadiens; Joannie Rochette, Olympic gold medalist for figure skating; Ian Clarke, executive VP and CFO of Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment; and Darcy Raymond, VP of branding and fan experience of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Wallace started working for the NBA in 1986. Before taking on the Grizzlies in 2007, he was GM of the Boston Celtics for 10 seasons.
Chris Wallace’s top 5 team-building techniques
1. “Hire and empower the right head coach. Let the coach be the dominant voice within the team.”
2. “Encourage the natural leaders to emerge and take internal control of the team.”
3. “Support the players in every way possible. Develop a rapport with their families and those in their spheres of influence.”
4. “Ensure that the players’ roles on the team are established by the coaching staff.”
5. “Constant, virtually daily, communication. Dialogue between management, the coaching staff and the players not only enhances team chemistry, it also enables a team to push through the inevitable down times in the season.”
The Sports Business Conference is the signature event of the John Molson Sports Marketing Committee (JMSM), a student-run organization at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business (JMSB). The full conference passes sold out, but tickets to specific events are still available. Register here for the events.