Moving from elite sport into business creates a new context for familiar questions.
Who do you trust? How do you contribute? What happens when things become difficult? Who is prepared to take responsibility for the outcome?
A basketball team makes those questions visible. Every player has a role, every decision affects someone else, and individual ability must contribute to a shared result.
Business owners face their own version of that challenge. A strong idea needs people who can turn it into something useful. Growth brings decisions about hiring, partnerships, customer relationships and the kind of organisation you want to build.
Chris’s journey from professional basketball to business ownership gives this Hear Me ROAR conversation relevance well beyond sport. His emphasis on people offers a practical starting point for thinking about those decisions.
The question becomes: who are you building with, and what do you want to achieve together?
Why great people matter in leadership
It is easy to describe someone as a “great person”. The more useful question is what that looks like in practice.
In a team or business, it might be the person who follows through when nobody is checking. The colleague who notices someone needs support. The partner who raises a difficult issue early because they care about getting it right.
These are everyday behaviours with real consequences for how people experience working together.
Chris’s central reflection invites us to give those qualities proper weight. Experience and ability matter. So do care, intent and the willingness to contribute to something beyond personal recognition.
For leaders, that creates a useful test: are you paying as much attention to how people contribute as you are to what they achieve?
People who care can still hold a high standard
Care and accountability belong in the same conversation.
Caring about a team can mean having an honest discussion before a problem grows. It can mean giving someone clear feedback, setting expectations or offering the support they need to improve.
On the court, helping a teammate involves more than encouragement from the bench. It involves doing your own job, communicating and being ready when they need you.
There is a clear business parallel. Leaders can show care through their decisions: making responsibilities clear, listening properly and following through on commitments.
Viewed through that lens, Chris’s message about people becomes something you can act on. It asks us to consider how our behaviour helps others do their best work.
What impact looks like beyond the scoreboard
Sport has a visible scoreboard. Business has revenue, growth targets and performance reports. Those measures have an important place.
Alongside them sits another question: what difference are you making to the people around you?
That might mean helping a colleague find their confidence, creating an opportunity for someone starting out or building a service that makes a customer’s day easier.
Impact can be specific and close to home. It does not need to wait until a business reaches a certain size or a career reaches its peak.
The emphasis Chris brings to this conversation is a reminder to consider that human contribution alongside achievement. The people who care enough to make a difference can change the experience of an entire team.
Three questions to take into your own business
Chris’s people-centred perspective offers a useful prompt for founders, business owners and team leaders:
- Who are you surrounding yourself with? Consider the character, care and commitment people bring alongside their skills.
- How are you showing up for others? Think about the everyday actions that make you someone people can rely on.
- What impact are you trying to make? Be specific about who benefits from your work and how.
These questions are simple enough to ask today. Their value comes from what you do with the answers.
Watch / Listen To Chris Anstey on Hear Me ROAR
Chris Anstey joins Kate Save and Tobi Skovron on Hear Me ROAR to reflect on a life spanning elite basketball and business, with people at the centre.
For basketball fans, it is an opportunity to hear from an Australian great. For business owners and leaders, it is an invitation to think about the people shaping their own journey.
FAQs
Which NBA teams did Chris Anstey play for?
Chris Anstey played for the Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls, appearing in 155 NBA games.
How many NBL championships did Chris Anstey win?
Chris Anstey won three NBL championships: in 1996, 2006 and 2008. He also won the NBL MVP and Grand Final MVP awards in both 2006 and 2008.
Who hosts Hear Me ROAR?
Hear Me ROAR is hosted by Kate Save and Tobi Skovron.
What is the central theme of Chris Anstey’s Hear Me ROAR episode?
The episode centres on Chris’s reflection that success comes back to people: great people who care, want to make a difference and create a positive impact.
Get ready to ROAR, Enjoy the Pod 🎧