Someone is Always Watching
Alan Stein, Jr.
I SIMPLIFY SUCCESS and help organizations achieve more! MORE impactful leadership. MORE team cohesion. MORE sales revenue. MORE loyal customers. Please visit AlanSteinJr.com
Back in late January of 2007, a long-time friend and mentor of mine, Dave Bollwinkle, invited me to join him at the Syracuse vs Georgetown game at the Verizon Center in DC. This was a work trip for Dave as he was a veteran scout for the Chicago Bulls. He needed to do his due diligence on the multiple McDonald’s All-Americans and future NBA lottery picks that each team had.
He texted me and asked me to meet him at the arena at 3pm.
I thought he made a mistake... as that was 4 hours before tip-off. I mean I’m all about promptness - but 4 hours early seemed like a bit much.
I texted him back, “You know tip-off is at 7:00pm, right?”
And then he texted me something that changed my perspective forever...
“Yes. But I need to observe these players when they don’t think anyone is watching. I need to see how they behave before the cameras start rolling.”
We inconspicuously sat in an empty arena and watched both teams at their pre-game walk through. Coach Bollwinkle took pages and pages of detailed notes on each player’s attitude, body language, mindset, preparation habits, focus, and character. He took more notes 3 hours before tip-off than he did during the game.?
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Let’s just say a few of the players he was scouting raised their draft stock - and a few players ruined theirs.?
A few players actually sabotaged their own draft status by not showing up as their best selves during the Unseen Hours.
And that literally cost them millions of dollars. You see, in the NBA, all first round picks sign a rookie contract with a pre-determined salary. There is no negotiating. If you are the 1st pick in the draft, you make $X. If you are the 2nd pick in the draft, you make Y. And every draft position you drop… you lose hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. If you drop from the 10th pick to the 15th pick, you lose almost $1M per year. If you drop from being in the lottery to the end of the 1st round, you lose almost twice that.?
As you can see, not showing up as your best self – and not preparing with focus, effort, and discipline can be very costly.?
I recommend you act as if someone is always watching you – because there is a good chance they are!
Speaker on The No Bad Days Mindset | Writer
2 年I wholeheartedly agree with this. This is the true definition of integrity. Being honest and having good character when we don't think anyone is watching. But, the reality is that people are always watching what our feet are doing. I'm also of the belief that nobody really remembers "what" happened to us, but they damn sure remember "how" we handled it.
Account Manager- Insight Branding
2 年Alan Stein, Jr. I so love this. I was a college coach for 7 years and always loved to see how kids carried themselves in these situations. And obvi this translates to everyday situations. Thanks so much for sharing.
Enabling Real-World Health Outcomes
2 年Great advice and context Alan Stein, Jr.
Your finances don't have to keep you up at night, but can fuel your dreams - Financial Advisor for the rest of us
2 年Always! I believe you are correct. And how people see us act and lead is far more powerful than what we say. Great thoughts, as always, Alan!