Why Real Leadership Means Taking One for the Team

0 Comments



Even those of you who aren't sports junkies might have heard that LeBron James and his awesome Cavaliers won a nail-biting game 7 to beat the Celtics and advance to the NBA finals.  “It’s what’s been asked of me from this ballclub,” James said. “I’m the leader of this team and I’m going to give what I got.”

 And - for the 4th straight year - the Cavs will battle the Golden State Warriors for the coveted title of NBA champions.

 But that's not the story I want to highlight - at least not just yet.  The real story is both Steph Curry's and James' responses to James' amazing ball playing that willed the Cavs to victory.  

 Both Steph and LeBron reminded the world that basketball is a team sport.  Both showed true leadership.

 While recognizing LeBron's greatness, Steph said "“I hate when people say that,” Curry said. “Like it’s — they’re NBA players, and yeah they’re new and what-not and ‘Bron is amazing, he played an unbelievable playoff run to date and has willed his team to his eighth straight Finals and all that, which is unbelievable to think about the consistency and the longevity and just the level of greatness that he’s shown in the Eastern Conference.”
“As a basketball fan, to turn on the TV last night and watch the game, and there were points in the game where you didn’t know how it was going to play out and they found a way to get it done, so shout-out to him. It was an amazing performance, but don’t disrespect the other guys out there. They fought hard too.”
And - as much as this is a nod to James as well as to all the Cavs, it sends a strong message to HIS team - to the GSW.  Steph is telling his team - sure, Durant and I may get a lot of credit, but I know it takes all of us to win titles.  And, he is saying, I got your back.  When it is my turn to be interviewed, I will remember to credit my entire team.
That is true leadership.  That is what motivates people.
Because how much do you think the other Cavs members love seeing LeBron get all the credit?  And LeBron knows it.  And he also understands the importance of defending his teammates and supporting them - especially to motivate them as a leader.  If Curry or James didn't support their teammates and make sure they got national recognition, their teammates won't respect them.  Their teammates may go further and DISRESPECT them - in public (which hurts their image).  And, they won't work together as a team and win titles.
LeBron explained:
“I know I get a lot of the headlines, win, lose or draw, whatever the case may be, but in order to be successful it’s a team game,” he said. “I learned that from when I first picked up a basketball and played organized basketball at age nine. So you get all the doubters and people who’ve never stepped into an arena, who’ve never played basketball, who’ve never put on a tank top and shorts, who’ve never played anything organized, always wanna try to kill my teammates. And it’s unfair to them, but I’m always gonna stay true to the game of basketball because the game of basketball always stayed true to me. That’s why we’re going to another Finals, because of my teammates.”



 What does this mean for the rest of us non-superstar athletes?  It means that when we are at work, and when we work with others, in order to be a leader, we need to motivate them.  And motivating others isn't that difficult.  

There are 3 simple things you can do to align yourself with your colleagues, support them and lead them:


 1. Thank them for their hard work and effort
2. Ensure they are getting recognized by others - especially leadership - within the organization for their efforts
3. Give them a platform for success.  Make sure they have opportunities to be in the spotlight as well - to present or to answer questions

 To be successful, your team needs to be successful.  As a leader, it is your job to make sure they have the resources to be successful.  But people also need to be motivated.  They need to feel appreciated. 

It is amazing how far a simple THANK YOU will get you.  It isn't always about money.  More than anything else, people want to feel appreciated.

 Try it.

Rise to the Top

No comments:

Post a Comment