Leaders focus on many things in order to be successful – Vision, Teamwork, Conflict Resolution, Passion, Character, Creativity, Competency, Preparation, Continually Learning, Character and several other items.
However, there is one skill which if you do not possess it, you will NEVER, EVER be a successful leader.
On the June 1st edition of ESPN’s The Herd With Colin Cowherd radio show, legendary NBA player and executive Jerry West said the following regarding young players entering the league out of college, “One thing people really don’t talk about enough is hard work. Hard work is a skill. I don’t care how talented you are or how gifted you are as an athlete, if you’re not willing to work hard in college where you play a 35-game schedule maybe, how in the world can you do it in the NBA when you play 82 games, maybe a 100 games a year if you’re lucky enough to get into the playoffs?”
Young players are entering the league not knowing how to work hard and it is causing many to fail. Can you relate?
West’s words resonated with me. Last summer I analyzed 60 blog posts I had written over a three-year period about leaders who are at or near the top of their professions. My goal was to identify common threads which contributed to their greatness.
The second most common trait of these Apex Leaders was HARD WORK.
The following are statements from 10 posts about great leaders and their commitment to hard work. Click each name to read the full article.
- New England Patriots – Former star cornerback Darrelle Revis says, “Our work ethic gives us the opportunity to win.”
- LeBron James – During the off-season (of 2012), James took hundreds of jump shots and practiced countless numbers of power moves on a daily basis. James also now frequently arrives to the game prior to his teammates to hone his skills.
- Nick Saban – “Signing day is the culmination of a lot of hard work,” says Saban.
- Albert Pujols – Pujols said, “When you’re here, you’re working. This is what gets you ready. If you want to have a championship ballclub, this is where it starts.”
- Robert Griffin III – Griffin said, “First guy in. Last guy out. A lot of guys say that but I have to do it to be ready.”
- Roger Goodell – “I learned in high school that I was going to have to outwork people…If I work harder than him, I’ll beat him. And to this day, I overprepare.”
- Von Miller – During the (2013) offseason, Miller trained at Velocity Sports Performance in Irvine, CA.
- Derrick Rose – “He lives in the gym he is so committed. He is in early, he stays late, he prepares, he studies, and he does all he can do to be the best he can be. His teammates see that, and they follow.” – Tom Thibodeau
- Jason Kipnis – Cleveland Indians general manager says of second baseman Kipnis, “We kept hearing story after story from our scouts about how competitive he was. That drive came out when he worked extraordinarily hard to make the transition (from college outfielder to second base) work.”
- Kemba Walker – “Every day, he plays like he doesn’t have a scholarship. Every day…That’s a challenge to be that consistent as a leader.” – UConn Head coach Kevin Ollie
Hard work was the second most common trait of Apex Leaders. Can you guess what the most common trait was?
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