I have matured from my twenties into my thirties with these sports teams and here are some things that I have learned about practice, leadership, respect and hard work from my time here and based upon the Dallas Mavericks' winning last night.
“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.” - Martha Graham
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| MIAMI, FL - JUNE 12: Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks answers questions form the media at a post game press conference with the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy after the Mavericks won 105-95 against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 12, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) |
(As an aside, this brings me to the infamous Allen Iverson video in 2002 when the sixers got eliminated from the NBA playoffs. Iverson got bad press for missing a practice. May I remind everyone how he never got a championship ring? See the video here!) This one was played to us by a sales manager of mine - to demonstrate that even when you think you are at the top, you have to constantly hone and practice your skills. Not just to hit your sales goal but for the characteristics of hard work, perseverance are ingrained in your soul - this is the true law of attraction - you can't just say it, you have to work at it.
Practice is necessary - you can't be on your game and prepared if you don't practice. As a team, your teammates can't help you if they don't know you - that's why you practice. Put into action everyday the best effort then nobody will be surprised about your capabilities.
LEADERSHP - A true leader can offer praise and criticism, and their teammates, friends, family will rally around them. Game 3 - Dirk Nowitzki in a news conference calls out the JET - Jason Terry stating if they want to win, the JET has to start scoring more. All I can say is, with Dirk being able to call out Terry like that, Terry had enough respect to say, OK, I'm bringing it - which he did in a big way, scoring 27 points in Game 6. For awhile, I have always felt like Dirk did not provide enough inspiration to truly lead this team in the previous playoff appearances. This year was different, with veterans like Jason Kidd - you had the maturity and level of leadership needed for these individuals to get their heads in the game even when they were down as in Game 2. Leadership is a value that is a psychological head game. You can talk all you want about practice and hard work, but leadership is unique.
Leadership is what rallies the rest of the team and the players. Mavs owner Mark Cuban, left the leadership to the coaches and players on the floor. Smart Move - it almost looks like he's maturing as an owner. Not to criticize Cuban, he's like a mama bear trying to protect their cub - you love them so much, you will fight to keep them safe - that's just how passionate he is about his team. Coach Carlisle provided the leadership to make changes and calculated adjustments even in the midst of game 4, starting Barea and pulling out Peja. He's in tune with his players ability - very keenly (maybe because they show up to practice). Also bringing in Brian Cardinal and Ian Mahinmi for injured Haywood, was a real turning point in their strategy starting in Game 4. The Heat took awhile before they realized Bibby was worthless after being ravaged by Barea. Carlisle is also very reliant upon his coaching staff - very much a statistical and logical advantage changing lineups like it was a regular season game.
The leadership was not rattled, they went to their existing tools and resources and didn't just hope and pray that things would work out. As in life, you have the education and the experience to make the choices necessary to make improvements in your life. Many people can go on to get more education and more experience, however you also have to take some risks in order to expose the true value of those resources and to expose risks. Once you make that choice - people will notice and whether you fail or succeed they will rally around you.
RESPECT - Let's just face it, nobody unless you were a die hard fan, respected Dallas. Maybe because they weren't out boasting to the media or inflating their abilities. Anybody that loves statistics like I do, could see on paper that they had the elements to win. However, everyone likes the feel good media stories of dramatic, over the top circus acts. Respect comes when you can deliver on what you promise. Let's just face it, Lebron James needs to fire his PR company right NOW! Nobody reigned in the King's mouth. He created a level of mistrust and disrespect on his own team when basically he didn't deliver what he said he was going to. Just think if he kept his mouth shut or didn't have the huge party at the beginning of the season when he moved to Miami? That's what respect is, you have to earn it. If you are going to talk it, then you have to walk it. If you don't deliver - the only person that opened their mouth about their perceived ability is you. Humility plays a role here - let your game (or in layman's terms) let your resume do the talking!
How many times have you heard someone tout their abilities - especially salespeople and interview applicants. Most of the time they talk about fluff- about what they are capable of doing yet you don't ever see the proof. I want to see what you have done, what do your stats say? (sales numbers, expense decreases) - where's your resume? where's your testimonials about what you can do? Respect is earned when others will go out on a limb for you and say - "Yeah, that guy - he's a good guy, he's a hard worker!" Remember, you will always get criticized even if you had a perfect game but if you have one stat, one testimonial you definitely earn respect. Live your life that way - give advice because you've been through it, Give a testimony of your failures - proof is in your failures as well - how not do something is just as valuable as how to get it right.
HARD WORK - There's a saying I heard the other day "everyone wants crockpot results but microwave cooking." Meaning, you have to work hard and be patient if you want good results. I don't need to give you anymore stats on how great the Mavericks have done this season or in the playoffs. Hard work is a reflection of yourself. What will you uncover? What will you do to realize your goals? I can't say how often people will post something online thinking opportunity is going to magically appear. Or salespeople who I dont' even know expecting me to expend effort on getting them a sales lead. Engage with people and ask them about themselves and tell them about your interests, especially if you have something in common. Yes, you will get a lot of offers, but many of them are scams and you will spend more money on schemes than on learning anything valuable that if you just digged a little deeper, you could get the same information for FREE. People are your biggest asset but you'll only win people over and get their respect if they know you enough to know how hard you work. Nothing is for free and nothing gets handed to you - no one owes you anything. You owe it to yourself to work hard for it.
Follow me on twitter/runenthusiast
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/heatherbuen
Site: Examiner
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