The Chicago Bulls; Lessons in leadership and performance.

When I was about 13 years old, I used to borrow my brothers Chicago Bulls T-shirt and wear it sometimes to be ‘cool’. Then one day, my brothers friend saw me in the T-shirt and said, “Mina, name one player on the Chicago Bulls team?’ and I said “Michael Jordan!”, he laughed and said “Come on, everyone knows Michael Jordan, give me another players name.”, to which my response was pretty silent.

The other day, I decided to watch the Netflix series “Last Dance” which follows the story of the Chicago Bulls in their rise to fame and success in an international arena. I found their story to be fascinating and incredibly inspiring, especially because I remember growing up in the nineties where Michael Jordan was a celebrity. I also realized, that for those of us in the professional space, there is so much to learn about organizations, leadership and performance from athletes and their coaches. Ive put together a small piece on my learnings from them (just from watching the documentary).

Disclaimer: I am not a basketball expert, so forgive me if I have described anything incorrectly. In addition, if you have not seen ‘Last Dance’, there may be some spoilers below.

There is no I in Team, and thus there is no Michael Jordan in Chicago Bulls.

Arguably one of the best head coaches in sports history, Phil Jackson became head coach in 1989 at the early peak of Michael Jordan’s stardom. Whilst the Chicago Bulls’ previous head coach Doug Collins made MJ the core focus of the team in terms of how they played on the court and how the team was perceived publicly. Phil Jackson saw this as a hindrance to the overall performance of the Bulls and had a very different approach when he came in to coach the team. Michael Jordan, who had received his MVP (Most Valuable Player) status under Collins, was not happy initially about Jackson's new coaching style because he didn’t understand what Phil was trying to do.

Phil understood that Michael Jordan was stronger than the rest, but he also understood that this was inadvertently shying the rest of the team from taking steps forward to excel. It also meant that rival teams were targeting MJ during play and he had to ensure there were other threats in the team to weaken rival’s offense. The rest of the players respected but feared MJ, and they did not want to step on his toes. Phil Jackson stepped in and directed MJ to take a step back, this opened up an immense opportunity for the other members of the team. In order to appease MJ, he invited MJ to coach the rest of the team with him by developing their collaborative tactics on the court. The Chicago Bulls then saw players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant find their place in the game and made the overall team's performance excel in a way they didn’t think possible, it shook up rival strategy on offense.

For MJ, as the most exceptional player in the team, he could not understand Jackson’s strategic decisions. When on and in the court, as a player you cannot see the big picture, it’s difficult to assess and understand the risks and strengths of how the team is playing. Jackson diverted the team's focus from competing with each other to competing with their rivals, this was key to enable the team to work together more cohesively. As the team’s overall performance improved, MJ learned to trust Phil Jacksons coaching strategy and became his biggest fan.

 Dennis Rodman; “Don’t put a saddle on a mustang”

When Dennis Rodman joined the Detroit Pistons, trainers would step in to manage him, but head coach of the pistons at the time Chuck Daly would tell them to leave him alone. He recognized that Rodman was a naturally intelligent and reflective player and wanted to give him the space to work his magic on the court. That is exactly what Dennis Rodman did, he learned to identify his strengths and focused on mastering his rebounding and defensive skills on the court.

Whilst an exceptional sportsman, Dennis Rodman became famous for his colored hairstyles, facial jewelry, wild antics, and celebrity girlfriends. The CB’s accepted and respected Rodman even though he was ‘different’ to the team and this was in line with Jackson’s philosophy of an appreciative and inclusive team. The welcome, love and respect he received from his teammates and coach meant a great deal to Rodman who had never really felt that feeling before.

To the surprise of many in the sport, Dennis Rodman took a short vacation in the middle of practice before a seasonal playoff. Jackson approved the vacation with a little hesitation, but Rodman let Jackson and the team down and did not return on time to show up for practice. When Rodman did return to practice (with a little help from MJ), Jackson became very concerned that Rodman’s longer than anticipated vacation may have affected his athletic performance. So Jackson rallies the team and sets up a training session to ensure Rodman is on track physically. It became apparent very quickly that Rodman was in top form. His ability to revert his focus back to the game even after a long break was not a skill the other players had. Dennis Rodman continued to become one of the teams most important players in history.

Phil Jackson created a team that accepted each other with their differences, strengths and shortcomings. He gave them the space to excel and grow individually but collectively built that camaraderie amongst them to support each other and pick each other up when they needed to.

Mastering Focus; The case of Michael Jordan

MJs ability to consistently stay focused on winning throughout his entire career was his greatest gift to himself and the game. He sometimes became ruthless as he put a lot of pressure on his teammates to have the same kind of focus. When the team had an extended break after the loss of a game, MJ would be back in the gym the next day and of course, the team, who had a lot of respect for MJ would follow. His mastery of focus was contagious.

To go into every game with only one goal - to win - required incredible focus and a consistent level of mindfulness on what he needed to do to ensure the team can avoid defeat. That commitment is the type of focus we all strive towards.

This all being said, sometimes life happens. In 1993, MJ’s father was murdered. The trauma and grief MJ experienced were too great for him to focus on basketball anymore. He took a break much to the surprise of many. He decided to try his hand at a new sport and had a short stint with baseball which did not manifest in the same success as basketball. Eventually, he returned to basketball. But the lesson here is, that life happens sometimes and that’s ok…we all need a break to reflect on where we are at in life.

Scottie’s Tantrum – When ego gets in the way…

Scottie Pippen was notably one of the best players in the NBA, even though he didn’t receive the same publicity as MJ or Rodman He was also one of the most underpaid players in the NBA, which caused a lot of friction between him and Jerry Krause. When MJ took a break from the NBA in 1993, Scottie stepped in and showed the world that everyone is replaceable, yes even Michael Jordan. He came out as a leader for the team and the Chicago Bulls finished in second place in the central division after an impressive line of wins for the team.

In the second round of the 1994 playoffs, there was 1.8 seconds left and a tie with the Knicks. Phil Jackson rallies the team and asks that the team support Toni Kukoc to get them through the round, Scottie pulls a tantrum, retreats to the bench and refuses to play. Kukoc succeeds in shooting the ball, and the team won the game.

Ego has no place in sportsmanship and no place in a team. Scottie wanted to be the star of the show and did not want Kukoc to have that spotlight. If you are willing to let your team down because you always want to be the star of the show, you will lose the respect of people around you. Phil Jackson did not celebrate the win that night, it is said he didn’t go to the locker room to celebrate with the team. And, although the team had won the game, for Jackson, the lack of team spirit from Scottie meant they had lost as a team.