For the week of June 27 - July 3, 2001

His third wind: Bill Russell on mentoring

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Bill Russell’s June 15 appearance in Boise netted $10,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho, said the organization’s executive director, Cindy Mesko.

It’s a community-based mentoring association that currently has 25 girls and 70 boys in the Boise Valley who have asked for someone to share good times with them.

The familiar Bill Russell laugh, in response to a question during "An Evening with Bill Russell," in Boise June 15. Express photo by David N. Seelig

A personalized Bill Russell basketball went for $700 in an auction, and two framed original pieces of the Boston Garden parquet floor were sold for $3,000 apiece. General admission tickets were $25.

"I was impressed with his commitment to children and to reconnecting the generations," said Mesko about Russell. "He seemed uncomfortable with his celebrity, but very comfortable when talking about children and young people."

Russell is an active board member of The National Mentoring Partnership, a 10-year-old Alexandria (Va.)-based organization that seeks to connect kids with a caring adult. Its original name was "One to One."

He is passionate about mentoring. The premise dates back to the ancient Greeks when Odysseus, embarking on a 20-year journey, asked his trusted friend Mentor to watch his household and guide the development of his son.

"There are no ‘other people’s kids’ in the United States of America. They are all our kids," he said.

"I hold my citizenship in high esteem," said Russell. "And maintaining a connection between the generations is one of the responsibilities of being a citizen.

"The generations must connect, and one of the ways is through mentoring. We try not to tell them anything, but try to make them learn."

Russell talks about serious issues, but he always injects humor.

"You know, being a parent is not just about having a great evening with the missus," he said, pausing a second to let the message sink in, and then cackling. "It’s bringing someone into the world and being responsible."

Russell loves to travel overland, by motorcycle or car.

Once, he was driving cross-country with his daughter Karen, a young adult. She asked him, how can I thank you for my schooling and all you’ve given me?

He said, "Mentor three kids. Maybe two will fall by the wayside, but if one is successful at least you will reproduce yourself.

"Expect to learn a lot in doing this. In fact, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the information flows both ways."

Russell’s reflections always return to a familiar home port—the Celtics.

"What Red (Auerbach) did was bring us all together and never ask us to change who we were," he said. "We had a fundamental diversity, different styles, depending on where we came from. We all had gigantic egos we converted to a team ego.

"We were a team of inclusion, and that was one of the biggest reasons for our success."

Lessons were passed along, similar to what happens in mentoring.

"The only way to motivate someone is to find out what they value," Russell said. "We’d like to get three million ‘One to One’ volunteers. If that happened, you’d find this world a more pleasant place to live."

 

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Russell’s 11 rules:

In Russell’s new book, "Russell Rules: 11 Lessons in Leadership from the Greatest Winner of the Twentieth Century," he summarizes his lessons. Here are paraphrased excerpts of the 11 rules:

1—Curiosity is a key to commitment and problem solving.

2—Winning is a team sport, accomplished through team ego.
3—Listen actively. Hear what is being said as well as what isn’t.

4—Toughness and tenderness are partners in effective leadership.

5—Invisibility can be an asset.

6—Craftsmanship to you, is like quality to your product or service.

7—Personal integrity is about setting standards and your choices, responsibilities and commitments.

8—Rebounding changes the flow of a game. It’s about going from reaction to action. It’s about resilience.

9—Imagination is the gateway to innovation.

10—Decision-making is most effective when it’s inclusionary.

11—Everyone has the opportunity to win in life, but winning is hard work. It’s the culmination of attitude, aptitude and appetite.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.