Failure is part of the leadership journey. It happens to all of us. When failure arrives, it is important to learn from the experience and then do the next right thing.
One person doing the next right thing is Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA (as he is known) is 25-years-old and just finished second in voting for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. In addition to being an incredible player and athlete, he was recently recognized in this article for his leadership skills.
Head Coach Mark Daigneault said, “Just like everything else he does, he’s just very steadily, marginally improved as a leader over time. He’s learning. He’s still learning at 25. This is his first playoffs in this position.”
He goes on to add, “Everybody says you lead by example, you lead through your actions. Well, when we draft a new player, when Cason Wallace comes in the door, their eyes go first to him. He’s an All-Star, All-NBA player. Max contract. And he’s in the gym early, in the gym late, in the weight room. Major focus. The diet’s amazing. Everything about his life revolves around him becoming the best player you can be.”
Coach Daigneault concludes, “He’s about the solutions. Let’s get this thing fixed. Let’s get this right. And he’s willing to work towards that. That’s the best thing about him. You have all these ups and downs in a game and in a season and it’s not a catastrophe with him. He’s just focused on getting it right the next possession, the next day, the next game.”
The following are eight things you must do to lead by example we learn from Coach Daigneault’s comments about Gilgeous-Alexander:
- To lead by example you must continually improve.
- To lead by example you must continually learn.
- To lead by example you must produce positive results.
- To lead by example you must arrive early and stay late.
- To lead by example you must be focused.
- To lead by example you must be disciplined.
- To lead by example you must be about solutions.
- To lead by example you must do the next right thing.
What is one thing you can do from the list above which will help you better lead by example?
Watch the video below to enjoy some of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s top plays from this past season.
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