Grousbeck came into the spotlight in the United States when he purchased the Boston Celtics, an NBA basketball team, in 2002. But long before he earned millions working at a venture capital firm and bought the Celtics, Grousbeck sat alongside seven other men and learned how to be the best.

Grousbeck rowed for the 1983 Princeton University lightweight crew that went undefeated for the season and claimed the national rowing championship. For Grousbeck, the lessons he took away from this season, would inspire a lifetime of success. These lessons became his “framework for success” and they are outlined in four points.

Setting the goal
Figuring out exactly what we needed to get there
You’ve got to have the horses
Magic – blending it all together and executing the plan

“This is where the coaching comes in, the coaches are responsible for blending it all together and executing the plan,” Grousbeck said. He went on to explain his days rowing for Princeton, how he joined the team so that he could see his high school girlfriend at a race. How their young coach Curtis Jordan became a part of the team, and how Jordan inspired the success that led to their national championship.

Grousbeck’s rowing career ended when he graduated from Princeton, but he was able to apply his framework for success to his next undertaking. Moving to Boston after a career in venture capital in California, Grousbeck purchased the Boston Celtics. From 1957 to 1986 the Celtics won 16 National Championships, but they had not been able to repeat the success in almost 20 years.

Grousbeck’s goal: banner 17. “I set my goal and I needed to figure out exactly what we needed to get there. With some statistical analysis, I knew it was going to take a big three. One top 50 all-time players and two all-stars,” Grousbeck said. Grousbeck and his team waited four years to get those players. They shocked and appalled fans with their decisions, they lost games, they suffered, but Grousbeck stuck to his goal.

“Lead them by being in it with them, live and die with them, tell them you will do anything you can do, lead through example, commitment and positive reinforcement,” Grousbeck said. In 2008, Grousbeck and his team did get to raise a banner, the Boston Celtics won the National Championship, six years after Grousbeck set his goal.

“I did get to raise a banner,” Grousbeck said. “It was a lot of fun. But I’ve been thinking about the next banner I want to raise. I would like to encourage you all to hang more banners and to hang them for the greater good.”

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