When I think about leadership, Michael Jordan always comes to mind.
And not just because I love basketball.
I was an Atlanta Hawks season ticket holder for many years. The Hawks were not very good most of those seasons, but I kept my seats—front row, right behind the visitors’ bench—the best in the NBA front and center every night.
You learn a lot watching players and coaches interact. But when the game was on the line, there’s only one person I’d want with the ball: Michael Jordan.
He embodies a simple truth about leadership that I still live by:
Don’t ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.
Why? Because real leadership comes down to setting an example. It’s about being in the arena, embracing failure, and pushing forward anyway.
Did you know Jordan missed 9,000 shots, lost more than 300 games, and missed 26 game-winning shots in his career? He persevered when he was cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a Sophomore.
Yet, Jordan is a 6x NBA champion, 6x NBA Finals MVP, and 14x All-Star. He is still considered the greatest of all time.
Because he never shied away from taking the big shot. And, in doing so, he took the burden off his teammates and empowered them to excel in their roles.
To be a good leader that others willingly follow, you can’t just make demands. You’ve got to earn the right to ask.
The surest way to earn that right? Get in the foxhole with your team. Do the work you expect from them. Put your body and reputation on the line.
And show them that nobody — not even the leader — is above doing it.
That’s the how we do it at VERVE.
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