“I’m one of, humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world.” – Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum
Have you as a leader experienced an epic failure? I have. If you have been leading for anytime at all, you have as well. Failure is simply part of every leader’s life. It is part of the small print of the leadership contract. After all, we are not perfect. Neither are our organizations. So when it feels like the wheels are coming off, what should we do?
On Thursday night, May 11th, the Boston Celtics’s superstar forward Jayson Tatum was having what could potentially be a historically bad evening against the Philadelphia 76ers. Through three quarters, he had as many turnovers (three) as points (three). Tatum had also made only one of the thirteen shots he had taken.
Celtics teammate Grant Williams said in this The Athletic article, “People can crush him for just missing shots. But they’re open shots. He’s known to make them. But there’s going to be nights when you don’t. And how do you respond?”
So how did Tatum respond? He would catch fire would go on to outscore the 76ers by himself in the fourth quarter 16-14 and lead his team to a 95-86 game 6 victory.
Afterwards, he delivered this epic ESPN postgame interview:
"Humbly, I'm one of the best basketball players in the world.”
– Jayson Tatum. 🗣️
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 12, 2023
From the interview above, we learn 7 Things Leaders Should Do When Experiencing Failure:
Properly Evaluate Reality
Tatum said, “I’m one of, humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world.” That does not sound humble. In fact, it sounds right out of the pages of a WWE promo. But Tatum’s statement is accurate. He was just selected to the All-NBA First Team as one of the five best players in the world.
A leader’s greatest weapon is their memory. Tatum clearly understands from previous performance that he has the skills, talent, and mindset to reverse the negative momentum of his first three quarters.
Understand Failure Is Part Of The Success Journey
Once again, we all experience failure. Tatum continued, “(We all) go through struggles, go through slumps. It’s a long game.”
Trust Your Teammates
Leadership is a team sport. You do not have to do everything. When things are not going well for you personally, it provides a wonderful opportunity for you to rely on those around you.
The Boston Celtics are an extraordinarily talented team who stepped up while Tatum was struggling. He gratefully acknowledged, “Thankfully I got some great teammates that held it down.”
Do you have a team around you who can hold it down if needed? If not, read 14 Habits Of People Who Develop Highly Successful Leaders.
Create Momentum By Getting Easy Wins
When you are failing as a leader, just start getting some easy wins. Doing easy things gives you positive results which creates momentum. In the fourth quarter’s first few minutes, Tatum made four free throws. He started seeing the ball go through the hoop again. Tatum got his rhythm back.
If you want to get your leadership rhythm back, if you want to generate some positive momentum, find ways to get easy wins for yourself and your organization.
Find Where You Can Add Value To Your Organization
Tatum’s teammates kept telling him to “keep taking great looks. It’s going to fall. Impact the game in other ways.” And that is what Tatum did. Though he only had three points through three quarters, Tatum still six assists and seven rebounds.
While your primary area of responsibility may be having subpar results, you can still find other places to add value to your organization.
Replicate Previous Success
Smart leaders autopsy success as much as they do failure. This is because when things start going poorly, you know the factors of success and can replicate those best practices.
Tatum said “It’s easy to tell yourself that (you’re one of the world’s best players) when you’ve got 40 or 35. But I think that shows character when you can tell yourself that when you (have) only hit one shot. Things not going your way and you gotta be the same person, have the same morals, the same character when things go up and down. I just kept telling myself that I believe in myself ’til it turned around.”
For a deeper dive into a time when Tatum did not have previous success, click How To Know When A Leader Is Thinking About Quitting.
Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing
Smart leaders focus on the bottom line. They do not confuse activity with accomplishment. Tatum concluded by saying, “And all that mattered is we won this game.”
When a leader is struggling, they can become selfish. One of the dirtiest secrets of many leaders is that while they want their team to be successful, they want it to be because of them. And when their performance is subpar, they cannot enjoy the team’s success.
The best leaders put the mission and vision of the organization ahead of their own personal feelings, desires, or performance.
Conclusion
Properly evaluate reality, understand failure, trust your teammates, get some easy wins, add value, replicate success, and keep the main thing the main thing. Do these seven things and you can improve your substandard leadership performance.
My latest eBook is available for download. The Top 65 Leadership Quotes Of 2022 Part 1 is a resource every leader should have. Great quotes bring clarity and put into words who we intuitively feel as leaders. They give us wisdom and insights which advance the mission and vision of our organizations. This eBook includes thoughts and insights from leaders like Warren Buffett, Nick Saban, James Clear, Dawn Staley, Jurgen Klopp, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Ted Lasso. This resource will take you about 10 minutes to read but a lifetime to apply. You will want to stop and ponder the implications of each quote. Click HERE or on the image provided for immediate download!