Obstacles don’t have to stop you

For a change this post isn’t relating directly to Covid-19, this is an insight about arguably (in my opinion) the greatest sportsman in history... Michael Jordan. 

If like me, you love documentaries on sports stars you will currently be watching ‘The Last Dance’ which is a Netflix series about Michael Jordan with a particular focus on the 97/98 Chicago Bulls season. It also shows the pre-Jordan era, his rapid rise, the impact he had on the organisation and why he is dubbed by most the greatest basketball player to ever live. 

Whilst watching, it makes you think about why he was so successful and how he managed to maintain his spot at the top of his sport for so long. Now arguably, there is a long list that you could choose from. His genetics, work ethic, drive, fear of failure, the list does go on and on. It clearly is a combination of everything. But, during the programme, there are 3 things in the series that stood out to me...

Drive & Motivation

Jordan is arguably and, in my opinion, the best basketball player of all-time. Without question, he was born with certain raw talents that other people did not process. But in addition to natural genetics, he had a mentality that he had to develop skills and learn how to push his body constantly. Johnson always had a view that nothing was ever good enough. 

In high school, he was cut from his varsity team. At the time, his objective was to get back and be a starter. When drafted to the NBA in 1984 he wasn’t a particularly good shooter, so he spent that off-season shooting hundreds of shots a day from every angle to become a reliable 3-point shooter. To become a stand-out defensive player he spent hour after hour studying the movement of opponents and recreating scenarios in training so that he could be a dominant force in that area too. 

Throughout MJ’s career, he had this inherent drive to take nothing for granted and to apply himself to every part of his game to get better and better until he was the best. With 15 seasons in the NBA, 6 Championships with the Chicago Bulls, 6 MVP Awards, 14 All-Star games, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. I think it’s safe to say he got better. 

 Accountability- Personally & Team

Michael Jordan once said, "my secret to success is that I demand more from myself than any other person can expect from me." 

Michael understood the importance of accountability. If you have watched the documentary it’s pretty clear that he lived in the spotlight during his playing years and knew that if he didn’t hold himself to the highest level of accountability then the media would have a field day. 

Jordan understood immediately after his arrival to the NBA that leaders have a tremendous level of responsibility. It did not take long for Jordan to assert himself as the leader in the organisation and then set a standard other player would have to follow. Jordan said every great organization is structured in that way, and after every championship the Bulls won, Jordan’s standards increased, which meant so did the other players.

However, unlike many others, Jordan also raised his level, which was one of the reasons why he asked the same from his teammates. Jordan took his teammates to levels that they would not have achieved without him. At times it might have been taking things 'too far', but it got the best out of people. Not only was he developing their skill set and mentality, but he was making everyone accountable at every available opportunity. 

Vision

Regardless of personal or professional views, a vision is a mental image of what you want, or what you want your business to be at some point in the future, based on goals and aspirations. Jordan was very open in that his vision was to be the best basketball player the world has ever seen, that he wanted to take his teammates to new levels and for the Chicago Bulls to win multiple NBA Championships. 

In an interview between MJ and Tony Robbins they discussed that a vision must be something that really must excite you, it must be compelling and have the power to pull not push. A vision must be something that will take you to the highest of highs but, just like a story, have a start, a middle and an end.

Whilst in this very challenging time, our drive, motivations, accountability, and vision are more important than ever. We have the chance during this period to take stock, re-evaluate ourselves both personally & professionally and ensure that we come back stronger than before. 

As MJ says “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, do not turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”