In case you haven’t heard, the Miami Heat lost the NBA Finals and the Dallas Mavericks are the Champs. The Mavs winning it all is the secondary headline however. The primary story is “Lebron James Failed.”
The Mavs did everything they needed to do to secure the championship. They played hard, smart and made up for each others shortcomings; never putting themselves out of contention. In fact, if you are a real sports fan then you know that this was the closest series ever played in NBA history. 4 points decided the winner from the loser in the games leading up to last night’s victory.
Now the sports media is giving Lebron James the beat down for a season that ended in failure. I think there are a few business lessons in this season that we can all profit from.
First
The decision to go to Miami and join forces with D Wade and C. Bosh was the right decision.
Every team owner in the country does exactly what James, Wade and Bosh did last year. They try to put the best possible team on the floor to win the championship. When the owners bring players together and they get to the finals they are regarded as brilliant but when the players dare to determine their own best interest the media and fans have a problem. The feeling is these dumb jocks need to shut up and play but this is a business and these are business men. Their decision got them within two games of their stated goal. In business you will fail and fall short but you have got to be mindful of your progress. The world will laugh at you for even trying but you are getting closer every second. Don’t get caught up in your failures, they are only a distraction.
Second
Sometimes the environment beats you and sometimes you beat yourself.
If you watched the last two games of this series it was clear Miami failed itself. They simply failed to do their best.
In business, if you can acknowledge that you could have done more and figure out what else you could have done, you give yourself a chance to succeed next time.
Third
Hate is terrible fuel and will often clog your engine at the worst possible time.
Since the 1990?s many athletes and entertainers have said they used peoples’ hate as their motivation. The outcomes are always bad. Think Puffy(death of Biggie), Kanye (total public mental break down), and now Lebron. The reason hate is a bad fuel is that it will get you through many obstacles but when it gets really tough you start thinking about your enemies. You get embarrassed and you start thinking about failing at the worst possible moment. I saw James play the first three series and he was thinking about winning, in the last two games he was thinking about losing. It was all over his body language.
The mind can only hold one thought at a time, in business you can not allow that thought to be the voice of your competitors or detractors. That voice must be positive and affirming.
Lebron James is on the right track to accomplish his dreams and he is on the right team to make it happen. He just needs to work on his mental game because he came really close and I have no doubt he will get there.
What about you? Have you made the right decisions and surrounded yourself with the best people? Is it your environment or your actions that are keeping you from your goal? Are you fueling your mission with the positive energy of your supporters or the hate of your detractors?
Make the mental adjustments and go win your championship!
Mark Fuller
Manager of Wealth
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