INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
If you’ve seen the movie Air, you saw the story of how Nike courted a young Michael Jordan to sign a shoe deal (a major coup at the time). It was a lesson in dreaming big and going against conventional wisdom. The story of Nike signing another basketball superstar, Lebron James, went untold, until recently (in this fascinating piece), and offers another lesson – applicable to us all.
In 2003, the night before the NBA draft, the high-school phenom, LeBron James, announced his decision to sign a shoe contract with Nike, after being heavily courted for three years by Nike, Reebok, and Adidas. It remains the richest rookie shoe contract ever signed by a basketballer to this day ($87 million guaranteed over 7 years). So, clearly, it was the money that swung LeBron towards Nike, right? Nope. In fact, Reebok offered more than $100 million over 6 years, including a $10 million check that CEO, Paul Fireman, stuffed in LeBron’s jacket pocket during their big pitch meeting. Adidas had offered similar money, and during their pitch meeting, they showcased how they would help LeBron use his fame to change the world. Wow.
So, what could Nike have possibly done in their pitch meeting to win LeBron over? Officially make him king of a Western European country? Give him a time-travel machine?
Nah. They made a prototype of the shoe they were planning for him, and gave him 9 pairs.
Wait, the richest rookie shoe deal, ever, was won, because of a prototype? Yup. The Nike company email that announced they’d signed LeBron, said this:
“Yes, we signed him. It was more about what he saw and felt, rather than what he got.” And as James’ agent at the time, Aaron Goodwin said, “Hey, you’ve got to hand it to Nike. Reebok had drawings of its LeBron James shoe – Nike had nine pairs already built for him.” Adidas only had drawings of their planned shoe as well. It came down to Nike’s willingness (in less then three months) to build it – not just talk about building it. They built a model of what became his first signature sneaker – the Air Zoom Generation.
And therein lies the lesson. Have an idea? Have something you’ve been wanting to try? Stop talking about it. Try it. Build it. Test it. Make it real. Tangible. Give it a shot. Take that first small step. Then iterate. Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat. Ask yourself, “What can I prototype, right now, that I’ve been wanting to try/attempt/build/do?”
Then, as Nike would tell you:
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake I’ve made)
It’s all too easy to make the mistake of getting caught up in your ambition, losing sight of other things besides “success” that really matter to you – like your relationships. That’s why remembering the 16th second dilemma (something I describe in my new LinkedIn Learning course, Happiness Habits) is so important. Imagine receiving a phone call where you’re informed you achieved a goal you’ve been pursuing for a while. For the next 15 seconds, waves of happiness wash over as you think about how hard you’ve worked and how good it feels to achieve that goal. But, in the 16th second, it hits you. You suddenly realize all the relationships you’ve sacrificed along the way to achieve that goal. Ouch. That sensation is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, and I would know.
I’ve experienced it before.
But never again. And I hope you’ll join me in keeping enough perspective and balance in your life to avoid this realization of regret.
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
Ever find yourself struggling to really listen to that person talking, because you’re distracted, you’re preoccupied, or because you’re human? We’ve all been there. Let science help. Listening mantras have long proven effective. They are little reminders you can recite to yourself before you start listening to someone, or write on top of your day’s meeting agenda as a reminder. Or, if you catch yourself drifting while someone’s talking, quickly recite a listening mantra to get you back on track. Here are my favorites:
· “Zone in, not out.”
· “Be mindful, not mind full.”
· “Run my mind, don’t let it run me.”
· “What has my attention right now?” (if it’s not the person in front of you, redirect your
attention!)
Commit to using one of these. They really work. You’ll hear more, absorb more, show you care more, and drift less.
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