The Golden State Warriors just won the NBA Championship and were crowned world champions. Whether you are a basketball fan or not, there are certainly lessons to be gleaned from their remarkable rise to the top. Justin Bariso from Inc.com has a great blog highlighting a few of these tips, and how they practically apply to your business.

As Steve Kerr, coach of the Warriors demonstrated, listening to the voices of your employees is key. Kerr is a first-year head coach and assembled an all-star cast of assistant coaches. He is very open suggestions from these coaches as well as his players. Bariso points out that it was one of the lowest ranking members of the Warrior’s coaching staff that first suggested that Andre Iguodala, who went on to be voted the MVP of the finals, should start in the series. Surrounding your step with talent is obviously the first step, but, as Kerr showed, creating an environment that fosters communication and an open dialogue.

Additionally, it is important to note how Kerr’s decision making was based on how it affected the team, and not just individual players. While this sounds like common sense, such actions may be more difficult to put into practice. Center Andrew Bogut, who was a key member of the team during the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs, barely received any playing time in the latter half of the championship series. Kerr had to explain to Bogut how this move would benefit the entire in a way in which the Australian player would still buy into the team spirit.

You should always be setting lofty goals for, not only your team, but yourself as well. Just ask Kerr and Warriors ownership who believed they had the talent to win this year despite relatively low expectations from the local and national media. If they were aiming to be a good, but not great team, they would have probably played at a good, but not great, level.