Never meet your heroes. They won’t live up to your expectations. I haven’t watched the recent Jordan documentary because I don’t want to see the “real” side of Michael Jordan. But, I know it’s there. I’ve seen his Hall of Fame speech. The one he spent not giving thanks but instead trying to put himself over one last time. And, I’ve read other pieces that give the same sentiment. Jordan is still the biggest sports hero in my lifetime but he obviously wasn’t perfect. Thankfully we can learn from the good and bad:
Don’t Be an Asshole – The ’96-’97 Chicago Bulls were awesome. They won 6 championships in 8 years and that season they had the best record of all-time. The next season, the core of the team broke up. They lost their coach and two best players. If they stuck together, they would of won at least one more ring. So, why did they all split? Because Michael Jordan was an asshole. Jordan hated the GM, Jerry Krause, so what did he do? He bullied his boss. He called him fat and made fun of him in front of the team. A grown man bullied his boss. And what did Krause do in return? Turn the other cheek? Ignore it? Hardly. Krause got “revenge.” He let go of the greatest player of all time. It was a lose-lose situation and it was Michael’s fault.
Don’t Be an Ass to Your Boss – This point is worth repeating. We’ve all had or will have a boss we think is incompetent. We all “know” we could do better. But the way to handle this feeling is not to undermine the boss. Think of everything we missed because Jordan and Krause didn’t get along. Think of how much fun it would have been to see those Bulls teams continue to dominate. It’s ironic that the San Antonio Spurs, who were one of the most selfless teams of all time, won the championship the next year. In your life, don’t get even with the boss. Instead, do the opposite. Make the boss look great. Give your boss all the credit. In the long run, you’re going to need their help. And, if they are bad, it’s not your job to tell people.
Don’t Have Two Bad Days in a Row – Jordan never had two bad games in a row. A famous example came late in his career. When Jordan played for the Washington Wizards, he had a game where he scored 6 points. It was the first time he hadn’t scored double digits in 688 games. What happened the next night? He scored 50. In our life, don’t have two bad days in a row. If you’re on a diet, don’t have two cheat days in a row. If you’re working out, don’t miss two consecutive workouts. At work, don’t have two unproductive weeks. When you mess up, which you will, don’t beat yourself up. Once is a fluke. But two times is the start of a habit.
Meditate – The Bulls spent valuable practice time meditating. And, the team later attributed their success in part to this meditation routine. If a group of Alpha males with world class egos found meditation useful, it can probably help us too.
1+1+1 = 6 – There would be no Michael Jordan without Phil Jackson or Scottie Pippen. Your capabilities multiply when you have the right people around you. Spend money to get a personal trainer. Hire great employees at your business. Go to a therapist. Get next to people who want the best for you and have the skills to help.
Don’t Make Decisions When You’re Emotional – After Jordan’s father was murdered, he quit basketball and played minor league baseball. As a kid, I saw him play both sports live. And, I can tell you from those experiences, baseball was the wrong decision. There were other factors involved, but Jordan switched to baseball because it’s what his dad loved. He wasted two years of his prime on an emotional decision to chase someone else’s dream.
We Are Just as Capable of Good and Bad – It’s easy to look back at Jordan and shake your head. Yes, he punched his own teammate. Yes, he gambled away millions. Yes, he was unfaithful to his wife. But, it’s dangerous to think you would have been any better. Know that you are just as capable of the bad you see in Jordan so that you can guard against it in your own life.
The House of Improvement 