Apex Leaders are the very best at what they do. They have transcended their industry and have become iconic figures in their areas of discipline. Often times, because of skill and personality they are required to take their organizations on their back and personally lead their teams to success.
Tuesday evening we were witnesses to one such performance by Miami Heat forward and Apex Leader, LeBron James. With the NBA championship hanging in balance, James took over the game in the fourth quarter and overtime scoring 18 points. In a virtuoso performance, he literally willed his team to victory.
After watching the game, I went back into my files to find two older articles on James. As I read the comments provided, I realized they provided a wonderful profile of the 16 Qualities The Very Best Leaders Possess.
How many of these 16 qualities you have as a leader:
USA Today – May 6th
- Confidence – “LeBron is playing with such a confidence and an aura about him. I absolutely love it.” – Karl Malone
- Humbleness – “Just to see my name mentioned with those guys (previous MVPs), it’s just very humbling. It’s an honor.”
- Dreams – James honors the NBA’s past and is a historian of the game. “It was important to me, because I wanted to be part of this (the NBA) as a kid. It was a dream of mine.”
- Continual Improvement – “His continued improvement is a testimony to his desire to be the best he could be,” says Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. James goes on to add, “I’ve got room for improvement. I will be a better player next year. I will. I will continue to improve.” Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel went on, “It’s shocking to be the best player in the world and continue to improve.”
Sports Illustrated – June 3rd
- Rely On Systems Not Silver Bullets – “We went from plugging him into a system to molding a system around him.” – Unnamed Heat coach
- Focus On Others – “You don’t have to make any adjustments as a shooter when he passes you the ball; all you have to do is catch and shoot.” – Mark Jackson
- Hard Decisions – “As point guard and leader of a team, there are times when you have to stay away from passing the ball to some guys.” – Jackson
- Intelligence – “While impressive, none of this means James is now an elite shooter. Rather, what he has become is a much smarter shooter.” – Chris Ballard
- Hard Work – To improve his shooting, James was “occasionally coming to the arena 24 hours early to join (Ray) Allen in his famed shooting routine.” – Ballard
- Maturity – “James was smart enough or mature enough or well-coached enough to realize that a wide-open three is a second-best shot, behind a layup.” – Ballard
- Options – “It (playing power forward) gives him another point of penetration, and now you’ve got to account for him being that much closer to the basket.” – Ian Thomsen
- Wisdom – “Your game evolves because Father Time catches up with you.” – Thomsen
- Skill – “You put your best players out there regardless of size, and if you have good, skilled players, whatever you give up (in size), you will get back.” – Bill Walton
- Freedom – “One thing all the great centers had in common was mobility.” – Walton
- Competitiveness – LeBron has “a willingness to fight for the ball underneath the basket.” – Walton
- Creativity – The center is all about movement, creativity, imagination, the vibrant, explosive game.” – Walton
I am picking the Heat in Game 7, 98-94. What is your prediction?
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