Inside the Hawks in Business leadership lunch

Everyone at City Beach Events & Weddings Wollongong on Wednesday 14th October knew the number. The Hawks are 1-6, and nobody on stage pretended otherwise.

That honesty set the tone for the Lessons in Leadership Luncheon, presented by Greater Bank, part of the Hawks in Business program presented by IT&T. The conversation focused on what leaders do when the plan stops working.

Facilitator Melinda James was joined by Crest Sports & Entertainment Chairman Terry Egger, Hawks coach Justin Tatum, Paul Juergens, Chief Distribution Officer at NGM Group, the group behind Hawks partner Greater Bank, and Hawks legend Chuck Harmison. Chuck captained the club and later served as General Manager of both the Hawks and the NBL.

When in Charge, Be in Charge

Before joining the Hawks, Terry spent decades leading American newspapers as president, publisher and CEO, including at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He opened with a story from a US General who had been sent in to lead a disaster recovery effort. On the first night, that leader admitted he had no idea what to do. What got him through was a simple line: “When in charge, be in charge.”

Terry said that idea has carried him through his own career. When something hit him out of nowhere, he didn’t panic. He slowed down and trusted that the answer would come, and it usually did within 24 hours.

“You’ve got to be authentic, but you’ve got to trust that it will show itself if your intent is good,” he said.

He also left the room with a picture to remember. A boat moving through water leaves a wake behind it, and so does every interaction a leader has with their people. “Is it a wake of dissonance, or is it a wake of nourishment?”

Go Back to the Plan

Chuck’s advice was just as direct. “When adversity hits, you step back and take a deep breath, and you go back to your plan.”

He said the problem might be an opponent hitting six threes in a row or a pandemic. Either way, the answer is to return to basics, explain the situation clearly to your people, and block out the outside noise. In a social media age, he said, that noise is louder than ever.

Paul picked up on the boat analogy. If a ship is sinking, the last thing the crew needs is a captain running around with his hair on fire. Calm and measured beats having every answer.

He also flipped the traditional leadership model. “We aren’t there to sit on the top of the pyramid. We actually should be holding the pyramid up.”

From 1-6 to 2-6

An audience member asked how much vulnerability a leader should show during a rough patch. Justin said his starting point is to listen. He asks his players to tell him how they feel before he tells them what he needs. “I can lead you to the water, but I can’t make you drink.”

Asked about the search for the club’s final import, Justin made his priorities clear. His focus is on “turning this 1-and-6 record to 2-and-6, to 3-and-6” and building momentum inside the locker room first.

That starts with knowing each player. Justin holds one-on-one meetings to learn how each person responds to being challenged. Sam Froling won’t get rattled if he’s pulled up; he’ll just play harder. Tyler Harvey will tap his coach on the shoulder and lift. They respond that way, Justin said, because they know the criticism “comes from a place of love and competitive nature.”

Terry confirmed that the passion is real. On the team’s recent trip to Melbourne, he said, he could hear JT clearly through two thick brick walls.

Championships Are Built Quietly

Asked what built the NBL25 championship away from the cameras, Justin pointed to the group itself. The Hawks had gone from a 2-7 start to a top-four finish the season before. Around 90 per cent of that squad returned. The players met at the cafe for brunch on game days without any prompting, and the bench was so invested it had to be told to sit down. Justin said that bond carried the team through the final games of the series after Froling went down with his Achilles injury.

Chuck reflected on the club’s first title in 2000/01. Coach Brendan Joyce picked the players, while Chuck negotiated their contracts and handled the commercial side. The two butted heads at times over basketball needs versus marketing needs. Chuck said he learned when to step back.

On collaboration, Paul urged leaders to park their ego at the door, because no one person is bigger than the organisation. Chuck said he learned more from his fellow NBL general managers than from anyone else. They were rivals on the court, but off it they were all working to make their clubs and the league sustainable.

What the Room Took Home

With Tyler and Sam in the audience, Terry said both co-captains would agree that winning with teammates beats any personal stat line. That idea applies well beyond basketball.

None of the lessons depended on a winning record. Stay calm, go back to the plan, know your people, and build something bigger than yourself. Those lessons hold at 1-6 just as well as they do on the way to a title.

Businesses that want to share that game night energy with clients can book the VIP Pre-Game Function, which runs before Hawks home games at WIN Entertainment Centre. The next home game is against the Sydney Kings on Thursday 22nd October.

Thank you to Hawks partner Greater Bank for presenting the Lessons in Leadership Luncheon, to Hawks in Business presenting partner IT&T, City Beach Events & Weddings Wollongong, Melinda James, our panel, and every business leader who joined us.

Join Hawks in Business

Hawks in Business, presented by IT&T, brings the Illawarra’s business community together through the club. It offers networking, events like this one, and the chance to learn from leaders who have been tested. If you lead a team in the Illawarra, this is your room.

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