Lessons from Magic Johnson's Keynote at PMI Congress

I attended the PMI Global Congress in Phoenix this past week. We had multiple adventures, starting with an electrical fire at Sheraton Downtown that shutdown the hotel (and displaced 800+ guests including me.) The highlight was Erwin (Magic) Johnson's key note speech on October 26th.

Magic shared many inspiring stories from his life and career, and there were at least a dozen great nuggets to consider. Here's the top 6 that I gathered for this post:

1. Exceed expectation! Magic discussed how he practiced his basketball - consistently honing the key skills and always delivery results above expectation. This is true in his current business affairs too.

2. Practice with the best / Don't be afraid of asking for help! He found people who are better in specific basketball skills and ask to practice with them.

3. Have a winning smile. He has a beautiful smile that warms hearts and close distances. He was highly approachable and generous with a ready willingness for selfies and photos.

4. Be optimistic. It's important to think positive and the art of possibility.

5. Personal SWOT. SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) analysis can be performed at an individual level. His advise is simple - regularly conduct a SWOT analysis of yourself and create an action plan to continuously improve.

6. Know your customer. Perhaps the most important advice is "know your customers". "People said there is no way Latinos and African Americans will pay $3 for a cup of coffee (at Starbucks). Yes, we will pay $3, but we don’t eat scones... I took out the scones out of my Starbucks and put in pound cake... You have to know your customer.”

I have a more detailed blog on my company blog: www.pmoadvisory.com/magic-johnson/.

Feel free to share your thoughts!