Editor’s note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.

After the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA championship, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP of both the finals and the league this season, discussed what he considered the most impressive aspect of the accomplishment.

“Our togetherness on and off the court, how much fun we have … it made it so much easier,” he said. “It made it feel like we were just kids playing basketball. All the achievements and accolades don’t even come close to the satisfaction of winning with your brothers and people you are so close to and want to succeed just as much as you want yourself to succeed.”

The Thunder are no doubt a team of talented players. However, they are also a team and organization full of lessons about culture, mindset and teamwork that can be applied to any company or organization.

Here are our four favorites:

Be where your feet are

During his time coaching in the G League, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault started a ritual with his players. He called it “be where our feet are” time.

For 30 seconds before practices, everyone in the gym was asked to close their eyes and take a moment to be present.

As Daigneault told The Athletic’s Christian Clark in January, “You don’t want to be thinking about the past. You don’t want to be thinking about the future. Life is lived in the moment. The game is played in the moment.”

It’s a cool idea anyone can use.

Appreciate everyone’s role

Earlier in the season, Gilgeous-Alexander called some of his teammates “cockroaches” and “hyenas.” He meant it as a total compliment.

“The world is seeing … what we call the cockroaches in our locker room, the cockroaches and hyenas,” he said. “The guys that do the little work, that don’t get the most plays, that don’t average 30, but their part of our season, our winning, is just as big.”

A quote that may seem funny at first actually has a deeper significance to it. By appreciating the “little work” and the guys “that don’t get the most plays,” Oklahoma City fosters an environment of appreciation and teamwork. Everyone’s role becomes important, a piece of the big puzzle.

The Thunder took that seriously this season, and it’s exemplified in what Gilgeous-Alexander said in John Hollinger’s story months ago: “We’re not just one or two guys; we’re 15 guys.”

Value all voices

A great example happened during the playoffs.

In Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, the Thunder listened to Jaylin Williams as he spoke up in the huddle. Not Jalen Williams, the All-Star, but Jaylin Williams, the reserve center from Arkansas, who played 15 minutes in the finals.

When Hollinger talked to Williams about why he felt comfortable sharing his opinion, it was evident in his answer that his decision to speak up stemmed from the team’s culture at large.

“Being able to watch it from the side, I get a different view,” Williams said. “Trying to kind of echo what we need to do, echo the plan. Sometimes it’s different hearing it from a player that’s going through a battle with you than hearing it from a coach, so I’m trying to talk to the guys.

“We’ve always had this saying where if you feel like there’s something that you want to say to a teammate, like, nobody’s bigger than the program. So, you just say it to each other.”

Lean into the fun

A championship-caliber team in the NBA must have a program full of hard-working, driven players and coaches. However, there’s also something special about enjoying what you’re doing.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick pointed this out following the Thunder’s Game 5 win in the Western Conference finals, which sent them to the NBA Finals.

Amick compared the Thunder, the youngest team in the NBA, to college freshmen at a fraternity party. As the players celebrated their win, Daigneault praised his team.

“These guys are uncommon,” he said. “They’re high character.”

But as Daigneault spoke, his players hung towels on his shoulders and tossed a hat on his head. Quickly, Daigneault added, “They’re idiots.”

But as Amick put it, they’re Daigneault’s idiots. And it’s an energy that is hard to replicate. It’s also a secret weapon. When a group that has a common goal also gets along exceptionally well, the chemistry will help carry that group to where it wants to go.

Just look at the Thunder.

“These guys really make you feel like … I’m a kid playing AAU basketball, like I’m 15 years old again,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They make it seem like it’s just fun. I think that’s what makes us really good. We have so much fun being out there together.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Jesse D. Garrabrant, Brian Babineau / NBAE / Getty Images)