As a brand new Marketing Specialist for Nike Basketball, Kobe Bryant looked at me and asked me why I should be the one to work on his business. It was 2005 and Kobe’s popularity was in the tank, he was the biggest villain in all of sports and no other brand wanted to work with him. I looked him dead in the eye and told him that I was born and raised in Sacramento, which made me a Sacramento Kings fan and a card-carrying hater of him and the Los Angeles Lakers. “If anyone is going to turn your marketing around, it’s going to come from insights of someone who doesn’t like you.” Kobe glared at me, but then told me “Then let’s not waste any time.” And for 7 years we didn’t waste any time rebuilding his brand one consumer at a time.Working with athletes has always been among the most exciting parts of the job, but also the hardest. There’s a lot that has to go right for things to work and no matter what you have planned, you have to be ready to make adjustments at a moments notice. The biggest successes came from being agile, innovative, fearless, and failing fast.I have never been afraid of the uphill climb and while I’ve worked for a Global Brand that has been dominant, most the of jobs I was tasked with was rebuilding, repairing, and redefining the category and culture. I’ve learned that if I want to get to the best marketing plan with the best insights and strategies - it ALWAYS starts with the people around me.The culture that I’ve been able to construct has both developed and attracted the diverse talent needed to achieve our goals. That is a culture of purpose, trust, respect, and compassion, regardless of seniority, function, or background. Moving teams from diverse individual contributors to a truly diverse team takes courageous and inspirational leadership.In my career, I have been fortunate to have worked with the greatest athletes, some of the most iconic projects and campaigns, and brought to life inspirational storytelling that have benefited communities all in the spirit of putting our consumer first.