No matter how you feel about how he left, it’s good for Akron and Cleveland to have him back – he, of course, is LeBron. And no matter how you feel about who’s the greatest basketball player of all time, there’s no denying he’s one of the elite. It’s his emphasis on teamwork, among other things, that’ll get him into the Hall of Fame and maybe help him reach his vision of being the first billionaire athlete.
LeBron knows his goal of winning another championship will be achieved with teamwork, “I just bring the determination to win. Me being an unselfish player, I think that can carry on to my teammates. When you have one of the best players on the court being unselfish, I think that transfers to the other players.”
Great leaders understand their success is the result of other’s dedication, inventiveness and enthusiasm, as well as their own efforts. But, in the United States we tend to downplay the concept of joint effort. We put a lot of importance on the ideas of individualism and self-determination, concepts which have served us well.
However, these ideals can create problems when ineffective people become too enamored with their own achievements and take too much credit for their successes. We all know people who were born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple (Barry Switzer). Effective leaders know they deserve some of the praise, but definitely not all or even most of it.
They know their success comes from people showing up for work day after day and efficiently going about the business of doing business – even when their kids are sick or they had to get up early to shovel out the driveway. A smart manager knows the employees should get credit for the company’s accomplishments; they’re the ones doing the work of making his vision a reality.
The true genius of effective leadership is to recognize implementing his vision isn’t just his responsibility. He knows that achieving his goals rests on his ability to seek out and listen to ideas from everyone in the company, it’s a group effort. A person’s success isn’t a solo act, except in the minds of narcissists. It’s the result of good fortune, hard work, talent and a host of other people.
