There is a lot of talk in the news about the selfishness of spoiled superstars in pro sports. I want to take a moment to shine the spotlight on an example of humility in a superstar.
On May 4, Cleveland Caveliers and NBA star LeBron James held a news conference at his old high school to accept the 2009 NBA Most Valuable Player award. James is just 24 years old but he shared a maturity and poise far beyond his calendar age. There were a lot of students in the audience; I hope they took note of the team attitude James demonstrated, specifically what he said in his acceptance speech (part one, part two). Here is an excerpt:
[How do I feel?] It’s an individual award. If you know me, you know individual accolades never really, I never really get high on. This is a team award. For me, individual accolades come when team success is happening.
You look at those fourteen guys over there; I got this award because of them. Because we put in the time before, during and after practice. We put in the time before, during and after games. We put in the work every day…
[Gives thanks to his Mom, coaches, family friends, other influences…]
I could sit here all day and thank people. I never dreamed about being the MVP. I always dreamed about winning championships with my teammates, celebrating with teammates.
Those guys over there is [sic] the main reason why I’m up here receiving this award. Those fourteen guys…are the reason why you all see what I do on and off the court.
In this article about leadership and humility, the author writes:
You know that any accomplishment or changes come about through those you lead and without them, you are nothing. It’s about recognizing others before yourself and taking a far step away from any ego…
How phenomonal that the high school students, the community members, the teammates, and the press witnessed a young man accepting an individual award while acknowledging his team for the contributions to his success. How wonderful that those in the audience heard James sincerely and emotionally thank his Mom, his coach, his friends for their support. How extraordinary it was that, although the award was for LeBron James, he made it about everyone else around him.
This does not apply just to sports.
In her article “Humility – A Leadership Imperative,” Marilyn Lustgarden notes that the research which led to Jim Collins book, “Good to Great,” is “full of examples of organizations that have consistently outperformed their peers over time when led by an individual with the paradoxical qualities of deep personal humility and unwavering perseverance towards stated goals.”
How can we as leaders dwell in humility? How can we remain humble while pursuing organizational goals? How can we help our superstars remain humble in their success?
------------------------------------------------------------ Eleanor Biddulph is the Executive Vice President of Client Services at Progressive Medical, Inc. She can be reached at [email protected]
Image Source: thehoopdoctors.com
