Leadership Lessons from Michael Jordan’s “The Last Dance” Episode 1
Image Credit: ESPN
Leading Without A Voice
Like a lot of other sports fans, I’ve been watching ESPN’s “The Last Dance” which is a 10 part documentary series about Michael Jordan’s last year with the Chicago Bulls. But I’m not just watching this from a sport’s perspective. I’m looking for ONE leadership nugget from each episode.
And let me get one thing out of the way. In no way do I believe that Michael Jordan is perfect and that we should copy him and his obsession with competition. But I do believe there’s so much we can learn from his wins and his losses.
[UPDATE: Due to the positive feedback I received on this series I turned it into a short book called “Lead Like Mike”. If you want to support me and read the ten posts all in one place you can now order it here.
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So, without giving too much away there was a scene in episode 1 where Michael Jordan, who at that time was rookie, observed his teammates participating in things he didn’t agree with. He was given an opportunity to join but instead, he literally walked away. He didn’t criticize anyone, complain, or report it.
Reflecting on that moment, Michael explained that as an unproven rookie, he felt he didn’t have a voice to speak out. So, he said, “I had to lead with my actions.”
“I had to lead with my actions.”
Michael Jordan
For the remainder of the season, Michael stayed in his room when he wasn’t practicing or playing. He avoided anything that was counterproductive to him becoming a better athlete and winning.
To some extent, Michael was an outcast early on for not joining the “cool kids” and for being so extreme. But that moment was such a pivotal experience in his life and career that he remembers it as being foundational.
Eventually, Michael would grow into a more vocal leader. But at the beginning, Jordan set himself apart from the others without even touching a basketball.
LESSON #1: You can lead without being THE leader as long as you are A leader. You don’t need a voice or a platform to start leading. This is something I go into more detail in my book Leader by Choice and it’s so critical.
You don’t need to be in a leadership role to start acting like the change you want to see. You just have to DECIDE you want to be A Leader. And you don’t need to wait for someone to give you a promotion or a fancy title because leadership is earned.
There are people in leadership positions who are NOT leading. And there are people without titles who ARE leading.
Don’t wait for someone to give you permission to lead since that day might not come. Even if you’re not “the boss” or in charge, you can lead. In fact, you have an opportunity and a responsibility to lead. And it starts by leading yourself.
The reality is that you can’t lead others until you’ve started leading yourself. If you don’t “walk the talk” you don’t have any credibility so why would anyone listen to you?
You can’t lead without being respected. And you can’t be respected if you can’t lead with your actions. Leaders are like magnates. Their actions repel some people, but they also attract the right people. But it starts with your actions.
So, are you leading now with your actions or are you waiting for permission?
If you like this post, and want to increase your leadership I.Q check out my book, “Leader by Choice.”
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