With their run to the Western Conference championship series, the Minnesota Timberwolves showed basketball fans a lot this year. And their success is due in no small part to the minds in the front office.

One member supporting their success is Sianneh Mulbah, chief people officer for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. During a fireside chat titled “Leading the Next Generation in the Sports Business,” Mulbah spoke about the rewards and challenges of human resources work in the world of professional sports. At From Day One’s Minneapolis conference, Mulbah was interviewed by Megan Ryan, assistant business editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Mulbah’s role doesn’t just sit in the realm of HR. With 13 years experience with the Wolves and two decades of human resources experience, she leads the strategic direction and execution of the team’s people-related functions.

“My primary responsibilities with the team are really focusing on our employee experience,” said Mulbah. “A couple years back, I started transitioning the way we think about our employees. Now, [we think about and treat our employees] like we treat our customers, the Timberwolves fans.”

“We are hyper-focused on making sure they have a great experience from the time they leave their driveway to the time they get back to their driveway. And we need that same thought when we’re thinking about our employees.”

With Mulbah’s profession comes a necessary focus on DEI issues. She points out that the Timberwolves’ leadership team is half female, with 40% of the team’s overall staff being women. Part of fostering that culture, she says, is keeping the lines of information open internally.

“We host quarterly all-staff meetings, and we start with the state of the business,” she said. “The league has mandates about what we can and cannot share, but we communicate what’s important for them to know, and we try to be open to questions.”

Embracing an authentic culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion also means reaching across generations, even when you find yourself puzzled by, say, a younger colleague’s work style.

“It means understanding that everyone's different,” said Mulbah. “[People might] want to be addressed in a specific way. It’s about using our real-life experience that makes us authentic leaders.”

With a low turnover rate at around 10% the Timberwolves and Lynx organization can boast that the people who come to work for them generally stick around, and this is in part thanks to their values around open communication and inclusion.

Dan Heilman is a writer and editor based in St. Paul, Minn.