Leaders Seek Out The Challenges

Curry drew back to his high school days in Charlotte and as a starter for the Wildcats, when younger kids asked about how he dressed or talked off the court. He saw the impact of connecting with people and how a leader can make people feel, just as his coaches did for him.

Through philanthropy, he aims to help the next generation achieve their full potential. That will be his and his wife, Ayesha’s, life’s work. He talked about faith—he writes the Bible verses Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:28 on his shoes. "The journey is what teaches," Curry says. "Seek influences that will push and challenge you. Put in the work necessary to keep improving."

McKillop spoke about his own leadership developed into a philosophy of "trust, commitment, care," which he now applies broadly as Davidson's leader-in-residence. Hicks, who teaches and writes on leadership, asked Curry and McKillop how their lifelong relationship models a shift from top-down coaching toward an egalitarian respect. 

Curry summarized his Davidson experience: “Everything that has come from my life, you know, basketball success and the influence that I have off the court—those seeds were planted those three years I was at Davidson, for a lot of different reasons…You’re training critical thinkers. You’re opening up the mind to different concepts and ideas. I’ve tried to adapt that to the way you see life, figuring out problems as you go along. And, so, you know, that’s my experience, and the 13-year journey from when I took my last class to when I finally graduated. It’s a reflection of exactly what that educational experience is designed to do and why you have so many amazing people doing amazing things in so many different fields, why we still have a connection to where it all started.”