Many of us look at the great ones and assume they have an underlying skill or trait that serves as the differentiating factor in their success. As a society, we make this assumption across business, athletics, academics, government (well maybe not government, ha) — but effectively every field. We assume there’s a specific reason for someone’s success, fame and wealth that the rest of us can’t possibly match.
The reality is that while some of us have unique attributes that can serve as catapults to success — take LeBron and his otherworldly athleticism — those skills are meaningless without the right focus, aim and ammunition. In other words, LeBron’s innate ability, in and of itself, is not the reason for his greatness.
Greatness is driven by a formulaic set of actions that we are all capable of undertaking. From there, it takes the right support system, focus and mentality to maximize our unique attributes and reach our full potential. These principles apply both in how we manage our own career and in how we maximize the potential of our organizations.
So let me reveal the truth behind LeBron’s success so you too can achieve greatness.
Pillar #1: Build a core group of advisors
Even before LeBron entered the NBA, he was focused on how his on-the-court abilities coupled with his burgeoning brand could lead to exponential financial success. To help drive his business endeavors, LeBron assembled a key group of advisers — stemming largely from an inner circle of childhood friends.
The ‘Four Horsemen’ — as proclaimed— consist of lifelong friends such as Maverick Carter and Randy Mims and agent Rich Paul with their own set of skills all complementary to LeBron. And even more importantly, LeBron could trust that each of his advisers had his best interest at heart as he worked to build up a global brand. Now you may be thinking, “…but I’m not an athlete or celebrity so I don’t face the same challenges as LeBron when it comes to trust and candor”. Don’t fall into this trap; men and women across all disciplines need a core board of advisers to count on for real, honest input when times are tough and when facing key decision points.
With his core team of advisers, LeBron has created a healthy circle of trust that you should be sure to replicate in your career and business dealings.
Pillar #2: Surround yourself with people of similar focus and drive
Beyond crafting a trusted board of advisers, you must surround yourself with people who bring out your best and your organization‘s best—people with similar goals, drive and interests that you can feed off on a daily basis. For someone like LeBron, there’s a high degree of self-motivation that exists naturally. LeBron prides himself on his preparation, commitment to the game and consistency, and many of these attributes come from within. Having said that, the coaches, executives and players LeBron works with help push him to even greater heights. People like Dwyane Wade, Pat Riley, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving and Tyronn Lue have helped make LeBron a better player, teammate and leader. Note: This is certainly not an exhaustive list of his influencers.
There’s a saying that you are “the average of the five people you associate the most with”.
Whether statistically true or not is besides the point. The underlying message is significant. You must be strategically mindful of who you associate with as it will greatly influence your thoughts, behavior and potential success. You need to find the Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade’s of the world who share similar goals and drive and will help you reach higher levels of success and fulfillment.
Pillar #3: Prioritize growth opportunities above comfort
LeBron’s decision to ‘take his talents to south beach’ is arguably the most scrutinized athletic decision in the modern era. It is also one of the best examples of an individual prioritizing growth over stability and what others think is best. LeBron may have needed to leave Cleveland to appreciate what he had there but he also needed a new environment to grow as a basketball player and person. The path of least resistance for LeBron would have been to remain in a place where he was beloved and idolized or for fear of rejection, but those can never be reasons for making decisions. We cannot accept stagnating in our career and business paths. When an opportunity seems uncomfortable but exciting, that’s often the right move to make for ourselves and organizations. LeBron’s decison to play for the Miami Heat meant he could surround himself with others committed to greatness and grow in a way that would not have been feasible if he remained in his home state.
Pillar #4: Keep the main thing the main thing (every day, no matter what)
When faced with adversity or challenging situations (i.e., a pestering Lance Stephenson on the basketball court), LeBron often likes to recite the saying:
‘keep the main thing the main thing’.
This is not only a mantra but also a tactical way of realizing your goals. To be great, you must maintain a laser focus on your core objectives. Despite the incessant distractions thrown his way, LeBron has done an exceptional job of focusing on his bigger aspirations of being great on and off the court. And further on the point about distractions…as an ultra-wealthy athlete and celebrity, LeBron faces distractions on a near minute-to-minute basis which makes it all the more impressive that he has found a way to block out the noise and remain locked in on the task at hand. His track record in this area is both enviable and useful as a playbook for others.
Regardless of one’s status, you will face inevitable distractions that can easily divert attention to the wrong areas. It may be the prospect of investing in a new business line / market not central to your growth strategy or attention you give to small issues disguised as ‘fire drills’. Both of these mistakes translate into wasted time and money that can easily derail your business. While the ‘shiny new object’ may have potential, it is more likely a distraction to be avoided. It takes a strong level of focus and discipline to separately bucket distractions and opportunities but it’s essential to your business.
Every Business Has Untapped Potential
I won’t profess there to be only four pillars that determine greatness. I’m sure other reasonable writers, researchers and companies could augment this list. The point, however, is that there are several core areas that you must be focused on. And regardless of your starting point — whether you’re an up and coming superstar, a leader in your field, or just launching your new business — each of the four aforementioned pillars is critical.
I’ll leave you with a final thought. Your business has tremendous untapped potential (I’m confident of this) and there are actions you can take now that will redefine its trajectory. We see this every day with our clients as one of Markacy’s main areas of emphasis is helping great brands become even greater. We help clients develop strategic growth plans and then work with leadership to execute underlying initiatives. So please do not underweight the value of a clear road-map that everyone throughout your organization is bought in on. In our experience, clear and consistent goals with layered meaning for each individual is often the difference between moderate success and greatness.
So be great and like LeBron, keep the main thing the main thing.
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