Honoring Bill Russell and Nichelle Nichols
Over the weekend, two octogenarian Black American icons joined the ancestors: Bill Russell, 88, and Nichelle Nichols, 89. Playing the character Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek, Nichols was one of the first women of African descent to play a major supporting role in a hit series. Previous to this path-breaking role, she performed on stages as an actress, singer, and dancer, even touring for a time with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.
As bridge officer Uhura, Ms. Nichols carved a path of representation that sparked the imaginations of young people such as myself in the late 1960s and beyond. As a leader, from 1977-2015, she leveraged her unique position in American popular culture as a volunteer for NASA, helping to increase their gender and ethnic diversity. Whoopi Goldberg, who played a character in later iterations of Star Trek, and Mae Jemison, the first Black American woman to go into space, both cite Nichols as a major influence.
A Champion and Winner for the Ages
The greatest champion in team sports history, Bill Russell was a leader at the center of a Boston Celtics dynasty, winning eleven NBA rings in thirteen years. For two of those years he was a player-coach, a feat unsurpassed to this day in the NBA. Beyond sports, Russell was profoundly inspired by Rosa Parks and Civil Rights Movement.
The experiences that he and his family had with racism and the folklore of white supremacy didn’t destroy him; rather, like a sword made stronger by heat and fire, he was determined to define himself and fight, in league with others, for equality and achievement on the court and off. The deaths of Emmet Till and Medgar Evers steeled his determination to stand for justice and against racism. That’s why Russell stood with Muhammad Ali in his battle with the U.S. government, who conscripted him to service in the Vietnam War; that’s why he and other Celtics teammates would refuse to play in areas where they could be cheered on the court but not eat at local restaurants or sleep in local hotels; that’s why when Negro students began to be bussed to better schools in Boston, he met with a group of Afro-American students and their parents to stand with them and even drive some of the students to school himself.
Bill Russell was a man of depth and integrity, a winner in sports and life. His book, Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the Twentiety Century’s Greatest Winner, was seminal for Jewel and me as we developed the Jazz Leadership Project. In that work, Russell tells many stories and anecdotes to support the principles of individual and team excellence that apply in many fields and all walks of life.
In his own words, here’s his summary of the eleven lessons.
1. Curiosity is a key to commitment and, specifically, to problem solving. Curiosity will always allow you to ask the right questions . . . Why? What if? How?
2. Everything you do begins with yourself, but for you to use ego to win, you have to make it all about your team. Winning is a team sport and can only be accomplished through team ego.
3. Listening lets you hear what isn’t being said as much as what is. Active listening helps you find a new language that helps others listen more effectively.
4. Toughness and tenderness are not opposites but partners in effective leadership.
5. Invisibility is learning how to make your opponents believe they can’t beat you even when you’re not there.
6. Craftsmanship is to you what quality is to your product or service. It involves making yourself the most complete colleague, leader, or parent you can be.
7. Personal integrity is about setting standards and your choices, responsibilities, and commitments.
8. Rebounding is changing the flow of the game from defense to offense. From reaction to action. It is about developing the highest level of resilience.
9. Imagination is the gateway to innovation. Innovation is the foundation of differentiation. Winning is the greatest form of differentiation.
10. Decision-making is for leaders. Decision-making is most effective when it is inclusionary, not exclusionary.
11. Everyone has an opportunity to win in life. Winning is hard work. Winning is a team sport. It is the culmination of attitude, aptitude, and appetite.
We are grateful for the legacy and example that Nichelle Nichols and Bill Russell provides for all Americans and people around the world, and honor them for their lives of service.