Typically, using any sport’s superstar as an example of leadership after reading Northouse (2016) would be considered out of context. However, legendary hall of fame player Earvin Johnson, better known by his nickname of “Magic” is truly an exception to this because of his demeanor on and off the basketball court. Despite the fact, that he is considered one of the best players of all time and in my personal opinion the “GOAT” or greatest of all time, this post is actually about his life after professional basketball. Magic is one of the most unique and inspiring individuals and I admire him for his remarkable athleticism in the past, his motivation towards a transition of his future and his impeccable professionalism in the present.
During his basketball career, Magic was notoriously deemed as an unselfish player who was always more than willing to create and make the pass to his teammates (NBA, 2016). This featured mindset is incredibly special for any individual to possess because most people would rather score themselves than rather watch their teammate do so; but Magic was different in the way that he processed situations and was able to see the bigger picture beyond money, fame and glory within his environment which ultimately opened up the path towards his extremely successful career. He further displayed this mentality through one of his businesses called Magic Workforce Solutions, stating that an organization is only as good as the talent working for it; which in turn means that an organization is never just made up of one single person’s efforts but rather a collective team effort (MWS, 2008). Next, Magic during an interview with Black (2011) speaks about how throughout his lifetime people have constantly told him he could not achieve the goals he had his mind set on completing such as being a tall point guard, winning championships and becoming a successful African American entrepreneur. Not only did he prove all of these statements wrong throughout his lifetime, but rather than reflecting the same negativity people brought to him by saying he could not accomplish the goals he set out to complete, Magic chooses to motivate people instead (Black, 2011). He does this by explaining to people the importance of going after dreams they have for themselves and to not be affected by the words of others (Black, 2011). Magic then goes on to say that a successful business person is only as strong as their team and that no one can consistently do all the deals and work themselves and so they must rely on team work (Black, 2011). Along with maintaining this type of mentality, Magic states that finding people who are willing to compete for their organization and have a deep understanding for what their company is trying to accomplish and how they can grow, is fundamental for development of an organization and success (Black, 2011). An important aspect of being a leader Magic mentions is to understand who you are competing against and who you are working with and to learn from experiences with both (Drury, 2015). Additionally, he states that you should consistently bring your full motivation or “A-game” to the workplace every day and to realize when it is necessary to give up and transfer those efforts towards accomplishing a new more realistic goal (Drury, 2015). Lastly, Magic explains the importance of not only running a SWOT analysis on the organization and employees but on yourself as well to also see where you stand on an individual basis and where you can make improvements and changes (Drury, 2015).
As you can see, Earvin Johnson is a truly remarkable and unique individual for the mentality that he possesses. He is absolutely unlike any other basketball player on and off the court and amazingly he has managed to become undeniably successful in both environments he has put himself into. Throughout the textbook written by Northouse (2016) he does not mention any of these ideas and this information can be quite advantageous when used effectively. Anyone can use this knowledge he has chosen to share by applying it towards a leader or followers and they can use it to gain further insight towards a situation. In conclusion Magic’s drive, motivation and passion are the reasons for why he will always remain my favorite idol and his lifelong adventures will serve as fuel for me to create my own fire in my life.
References
NBA.com: Magic Johnson Bio. (2016). Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://www.nba.com/history/players/johnsonm_bio.html
MAGIC Workforce Solutions. (2008). Retrieved April 30, 2016, from http://www.magicworkforce.com/
Black, T. (2011, March 18). Johnson Says There’s No ‘Magic’ to Business Success. Retrieved April 30, 2016, from http://www.inc.com/articles/201103/magic-johnson-on-business-success.html
Drury, A. (2015, May 12). SEISMIC BLOG. Retrieved April 30, 2016, from https://seismic.com/blog/post/magic-johnsons-lessons-of-leadership-and-success/
Northouse, P. (2016). Trait approach. In Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, California: Sage Publications.