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Business, Sports

Great Work Ethic Versus Great Potential

March 3, 2010

Whether it’s sports or business, the word ‘potential’ is a dangerous word to throw around. The reason behind this is because it’s purely based on instinct and assumptions. No matter how much data you want to throw at it, once the word ‘potential’ is included, it’s anyone’s game. The dictionary likes to define ‘potential’ as “the inherent capacity for coming into being,” but a better definition might be: “it might happen and it might not.” Too often are we caught up talking about the ‘potential’ of an individual that we forget about a little something called hard work.

Perhaps the best way to understand the dichotomy between hard work and potential is to look at sports. Continue Reading…

Sports

Winning Solves [Almost] Everything

June 1, 2009

In an ideal world, you would never lose. Winning would be easy and losing would be a figment of the imagination. Unfortunately, we can only dream about that kind of world. Instead, losing is a reality which makes winning that much more important. In the past month or so I have heard ramblings about how great LeBron James is and how he and Kobe Bryant were destined for a classic NBA finals which would be remembered for all times. Instead, Nike is pulling their Kobe/LeBron commercials faster than Isiah Thomas is being forgotten, and LeBron is getting ready for a long summer. With LeBron unable to make it to the NBA finals, the rumor mill is starting to gain momentum. While there are still those that talk about how great LeBron is, the fact remains that LeBron has won nothing.

With Cleveland unable to make it to the NBA finals comes a new set of problems. With LeBron able to opt out of his contract next summer, Cleveland is in the position to lose one of the greatest superstars because they weren’t able to do one thing: win. People often like to quote the popular statement “Winning isn’t everything,” but what people fail to realize is the whole quote:

Men, I’ll be honest. Winning isn’t everything. Men, it’s the only thing! — Henry Russel Sanders

It is ironic that a quote that so many people use to console those who have lost is actually part of a quote meant to instill the idea that winning is the only option and that it’s all that matters. Continue Reading…

Sports

How To Be Kobe Bryant In The Workplace

May 23, 2009

If you were to take away the Hollywood sign, most everyone would notice and panic. Similar to that sentiment, if Kobe Bryant were to play basketball in any city other than Los Angeles, people would be in disarray and begin a ‘bring Kobe back’ campaign. While Kobe leaving LA may seem like a far off issue, Kobe has become such an established brand in Los Angeles, that Los Angeles without Kobe is like a sandwich with no bread. While the average fan can only imagine being Kobe Bryant and making the clutch shot in the last moments of a game, that doesn’t mean you can’t be Kobe Bryant in the workplace.

When Kobe entered the NBA he was just 17 years old at the time. As a rookie, scouts and NBA analysts saw flashes of brilliance, but also saw streaks of immaturity and lack of discipline. For most of us, we too go through something similar to what Kobe had to go through. When starting a job, we try to do the best we can, but that doesn’t mean we always do it right. Kobe’s role during his first year was to learn and play the role he was given which was off the bench at the time. When starting with a company it is important to spend time learning the in’s and out’s of how the company runs and also to perform your tasks to the best of your abilities. Doing so will guarantee you more ‘playing time’ later on as you gain the the respect of your peers and seniors. Continue Reading…

Social Media, Sports

How NBA Stars Are Using Twitter To Brand Themselves

May 11, 2009

Ever wanted to know what Shaquille O’neal does before a game or where Baron Davis likes to go on his off days? Thanks to Twitter, now you can. For the last 4 months, I have been watching the accounts of players like Shaquille O’neal and Baron Davis and have been paying careful attention to the number of followers that they have. The amount of influence that athletes like Baron and Shaq have accumulated in just the past few months is impressive

In the last 3 months, Shaquille O’neal, better known as The_Real_Shaq on Twitter, has gone from 50,000 followers to nearly 1 million. At first glance, you may think that it is the “Shaq Brand” that has drawn in the large number of followers, but that is not entirely true. Companies like Dell and Woot.com have all tried to do what Shaq has done with Twitter, but they can’t because of what Shaq and other NBA stars have been doing.

Yes, Shaquille O’neal is a world famous athlete, but he is also a brand in himself. Like the Nike swoop that has become an iconic figure in sports, Shaquille’s personality is the same. NBA stars are branding themselves not as just athletes, but as ‘real people.’ If you look at what NBA players are tweeting about, they aren’t talking about how many points they scored or if a referee got a play wrong, they are tweeting about what regular people like you and I would tweet about. From Shaq’s thoughts on the recent Manny Ramirez drug suspension to Derek Fisher’s NCAA Bracket results, when you are following an NBA star you feel like you are following a real person.
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