Mark West (@mwest41) is the Vice President of Player Programs and is also an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. His roles focus on the business of basketball, player relations and development and community representation. As a player, he competed for 17 seasons in the NBA, six with the Suns, helping them reach the 1993 NBA Finals. He currently ranks third in NBA History in field goal percentage.

In this clip, West talks about how important body language is to the motivation and performance of teammates on the court. Negative, dragging body language can cause others to loose steam. But positive, uplifting body language can spur others to keep working hard. During his time on the court, West remembers Charles Barkley being an especially great example of how body language can be contagious. When Barkley displayed passion and emotion, his teammates would get fired up and feel the same. He cautions leaders to pay close attention to how they behave, because teammates will look to the team leaders for body language clues on how to act. Stay poised and aware, and always remember to keep your body language in check.

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