It’s a debate that has probably gone on in your household at any Christmas event whether you’ve been apart of it or listened. Who’s better Lebron James or Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, etc.? While NBA culture itself is based on personal legacy’s, who are these people as leaders that get the most out of the teammates to get to their end goal every year of winning an NBA Championship.
Kobe Bryant:
He has been quoted as
“Leadership is responsibility.
There comes a point when one must make a decision. Are YOU willing to do what it takes to push the right buttons to elevate those around you? If the answer is YES, are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? Here’s where the true responsibility of being a leader lies.
Sometimes you must prioritize the success of the team ahead of how your own image is perceived. The ability to elevate those around you is more than simply sharing the ball or making teammates feel a certain level of comfort. It’s pushing them to find their inner beast, even if they end up resenting you for it at the time.
I’d rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that’s just not reality. I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.
This is my way. It might not be right for YOU but all I can do is share my thoughts. It’s on YOU to figure out which leadership style suits you best.”
While an Authoritarian Leadership style like Kobe Bryant has been known to wear out people rather quickly. He’s in a sport where every year in and year out his roster is constantly changing so he can turn and burn the players that can’t connect with his ship up or ship out attitude. You can’t teach someone to have the passion or love something as much as you do.
So how does his leadership style apply to the corporate world, the answer is trimming the fat. Trimming the fat means you get rid of all the useless things or people that avoid you from reaching your goal. This gets everyone on the same page and avoid’s the employee’s that work for a living instead of lives to work. By getting rid of these employee’s it puts more responsibility on the workforce that is left, but their wage’s and their incentives are usually much higher.
How do you feel Kobe’s leadership would work in your workplace?
References: http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/33473/kobe-bryants-leadership-doctrine
Video clip from Kobe: The Interview with Ahmad Rashad on NBA TV 2015