Dunphy links coaching, business skills

Some might think that business and sports are an unlikely combination, but similarities between the two became evident last Wednesday in Ware College House. About 20 Ware residents, along with 47 executives from the Aresty Institute's Executive Leadership Program and head Penn's men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy, gathered in McClelland Hall for a discussion on the correlations between leadership in business and in athletics. Dunphy, the evening's keynote speaker, spoke about leadership and teamwork on the basketball court. "The team concept of today's business world is something we [in the athletic world] deal with every day," Dunphy said. Hailing from locales as far away as Belgium and Japan, the executives -- some of whom had recently taken over leadership positions in their companies -- arrived at Penn two weeks ago. Since then, under the direction of Ware Faculty Master Kenwyn Smith, they have engaged in an intense program designed to prepare them for the rigors of corporate leadership. According to Smith, a professor of Organizational Behavior in Penn's School of Social Work, Ware students were invited to the event because it gives them "the chance to start international contacts." He added that "it's part of a widening circle." Dunphy told the audience of his varied experiences before coming to Penn, from studying in the graduate program at American University in Washington, D.C., to serving an assistant basketball coach at La Salle University. Dunphy said that when he first became head coach of Penn's team he wasn't ready for the amount of work he would have to do. He said he had to learn how to delegate responsibilities and depend on his assistants. "As assistant coach you can simply make suggestions," Dunphy said. "They make you the head honcho, [it's a] whole different world." According to the coach, it is important to "know who you are [and to] appreciate your limits." In his speech, Dunphy further emphasized his belief that in order to be truly successful, it is important to take risks or to "get out of the box? that's how genius is created." Dunphy went on to say, "It's OK to fail. You learn a lot from failing. It makes victory that much sweeter." The coach's axioms seemed like good advice to Wharton freshman Dan Robinson, who said that he liked "the fact that [Dunphy] tells it at a level we can all understand. We can recognize what he's trying to do." Gaurab Bansal, a College junior, agreed that the speech was a success. "It was good to get some insight as to what coaching is about," he said. Dunphy concluded his speech by highlighting his accomplishments, which included sending two players -- Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney -- to the NBA. Yet Dunphy added that even in the midst of truly talented players, it is important to remember that "the team comes first."