Pressure is something every leader must face. In fact, pressure is a leader’s constant unwanted companion. The question becomes how do you deal successfully with pressure and not let it crush you?
This past week we got to experience on two occasions the most exciting words in all of sports – Game 7! The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference Finals while the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets to capture the Western Conference Finals. These two teams will now face-off in the NBA Championship for the fourth consecutive year.
As I watched the pre and post-game shows, I captured a significant amount of information on what is necessary to perform at the highest level in the most pressured packed environments. Whether you lead an athletic organization, business, ministry, non-profit, or in academia, this content will make you a better leader.
The following are 35 Things You Must Do To Succeed When Under Intense Pressure:
ESPN’s NBA Countdown, May 27th
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Give Your Top Performers All The Support They Need – “I appreciate how Coach Lue defined starting Jeff Green because he plays well with LeBron James.” – Jalen Rose
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Be Comfortable In Your Surroundings – Home teams average 4.9 more points than the opposition in Game 7s.
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Not Put Pressure On Yourself – “One of my greatest strengths was not putting pressure on myself… Game 7 was just a regular basketball game.” – Chauncey Billups
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Take Care Of All The Little Things – “You got to think about all the little things that help your team win because those little things add up to big things.” – Paul Pierce
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Embrace The Moment – “I’m going to remember this game for the rest of my life… so make it a good one.” – Billups
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Expect It To Be Hard – “If you want to win a Game 7 expect hard.” – Pierce
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Give Great Effort – “He has to inspire his guys by effort.” – Billups on James
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have Help From Others – “The team that plays hard gets the benefit of the whistle.” – Rose
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Be Special In All Areas Of Your Responsibility – “In order for the Cavs to advance to the Finals LeBron James gotta be special on both sides of the court.” – Mark Jackson
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Not Worry – “It starts with not worrying. Put all your energy into the defensive end of the floor. If you do that, then you have to trust your offense will come.” – Jeff Van Gundy
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Perform To Your Potential – “I need to see Al Horford as an All-Star.” – Jackson
ESPN Sportcenter Post Game, May 27th
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Be Resilient – “Having a resilient group… They’re tough-minded. They know what it takes.” – Tyronn Lue
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Lead By Example – “LeBron being the best player in the world, this whole year he led by example… He played all 82 games in his 15th season to lead by example.” – Lue
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have Great People Around You – “Going into a Game 7 you want the best player in the world on your side.” – Lue
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have A Great Team Around You – “Only way to succeed it has to be a team effort.” – James
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Give Everything You Have – “Win, lose, or draw, no matter what, at the end of my career you will never get someone to say he that didn’t leave it all on the floor.” – James
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Continually Improve – “Wins and losses, that happens throughout the course of life. It’s how you pick yourself up. It’s how you can continue to get better and better.” – James
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have Previously Experienced Pressure – “The Celtics were too green… The moment was too big for them.” – Tim Legler
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure It Helps To Have The Best In The World On Your Side – “The quality of your possessions were better because you had LeBron James.” – Legler
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Survive And Advance – “Every ending is tough… The ones that don’t until you win a championship is always going to be disappointing ending.” – Brad Stevens
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have Dealt With Pain And Disappointment – “The pain is part of the path.” – Stevens
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have Your Most Talented People Perform At Their Best – “Game 7 was an aberration. It usually is. The big boys show up.” – Steven A. Smith
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Not Cheat Anyone – “The great athletes never cheat us… They just don’t let you down.” – Smith on James
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Overcome Obstacles – “You need guys who can trump great defenses.” – Legler
TNT Tip-off, May 28th
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have As Much Talent As Possible – “If this was a game of chess, (Golden State Warriors head coach) Steve Kerr has four queens on the floor.” – Kenny Smith
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Avoid Careless Mistakes – “The winner of the turnover battle has won each game this series.” – Ernie Johnson Jr.
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have People Unexpectedly Step Up – “It’s the unknowns in Game 7s. Who’s going to step up? Both teams have stars but who’s going to step up?” – Reggie Miller
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure Your Team Must Be Completely Unified – “You’re at your best when it’s 12 vs 20,000.” – Miller
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Get Everyone Involved – “It’s different when you’re home and you’re away. On the road you have to go first because you can’t play from behind. But at home, you can get the other guys going.” – Charles Barkley
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have No Patience – “There’s no patience in this game… It’s such an abrupt end.” – Barkley
Inside The NBA, May 28th
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Be Nimble And Quickly Abandon What Is Not Working – The Houston Rockets made only 7 of their 44 3-point attempts (16%). Included was a stretch where they missed 27 in a row.
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Focus On The Fundamentals – “I like our defense. That’s the main thing. As much talk as there is about our scoring and our shooting, we’re really about our defense. That’s what sets up transition and gets us free.” – Coach Kerr
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Keep Everyone Positive – “The coach’s job is to keep the guys positive in an environment like this.” – Coach Kerr
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Play To Your Strengths – “If we can have the same number of possessions as our opponent our shotmaking will take over.” – Coach Kerr
- To Succeed Under Intense Pressure You Must Have Talent. It’s That Simple. – “Our talent took over. It’s as simple as that. We’ve got three of the best shotmakers in the league. They all got hot at different moments in the 2nd half and made great plays.” – Coach Kerr in the post-game press conference
What is one thing you learned from this past week’s two Game 7s which will make you a better leader?
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