8|24: How Kobe Developed the Mamba Mentality
It’s about 8:24am on a typical Monday morning. I’m sitting at my desk, reviewing reports, writing out my priorities for the coming week, while listening in on my weekly conference call. Almost immediately after my conference call concluded and my manager walked in my office and informed me of a shift in priorities for the week. He told me about a new program was that was rolling out and that we need to react quickly. At that point I ripped the sheet of paper from my notebook that had my plan and priorities for the day, balled it up and yelled “KOBE” as I shot the piece of paper into my trash can.
Isn’t it amazing how it’s been almost 130 years since Dr. Naismith invented the game of basketball and the thousands of players that have been afforded the opportunity to play at the professional level, that one name, Kobe, is the name that sounds when the average person plays office trash can basketball. It’s no coincidence. It’s no fluke. Kobe Bryant, who was tragically killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020 along with 8 other passengers, one of which was his 13 year old daughter Gianna, was a once in a generation superstar. 5 Time NBA Champion, 1 Time NBA MVP, 2 Time Olympic gold medalist, 15 time NBA All-Star, 4 time NBA All Star MVP, son, husband, father and in all that he was a leader.
Here are a few principles that Kobe Bryant lived by that made him the Black Mamba:
Outwork Everyone
Kobe worked tirelessly at his game. He would arrive to the arena to put shots up before anyone else and would leave after everyone else had come and gone. Following Kobe’s untimely passing, former NBA player, now ESPN corespondent Jay Williams told his firsthand account of this. He told how he came down to the court to shoot around for a little while before his big game against the Lakers and Kobe was already there. As Williams was about to leave the court, Kobe was still there with seemingly no intentions of leaving anytime soon. Williams contemplated asking Kobe why he was still practicing for a second and built enough courage to step to him. When he finally approached him, Kobe’s response was “I wanted you to know that you will never outwork me”. That quote by Kobe really stood out to me. It serves as a reminder that, no amount of philosophy, thought leadership or self help literature can replace good old fashioned hard work. Are you out working everyone in your field?
Strengthen Your Weaknesses
In addition to his incredible work ethic, Kobe understood the importance of strengthening his weaknesses. While most people play to their strengths, Kobe played to his weaknesses. He was very self aware of what his short comings were and worked diligently to close the gaps in those areas. For example, he mentioned that his hands were big but not the biggest, so he needed to make sure he strengthen his hands to be able to palm the basketball and the other functions necessary to be a great player. I believe your strengths will always carry you but your weaknesses can hinder you from reaching the next level. Many great players never won a title because they refuse to get better defensively or improve their post skills. In the same way, what weaknesses do you have that if strengthened can take you to another level?
Goat Mountain
As iconic of a player as Kobe was and a goat in his own right, Kobe understood the importance of seeking guidance from the greats. In fact, when he needed advice or wisdom, he visited what he referred to as Goat Mountain. Goat Mountain was a like a Mont Rushmore of sorts for Kobe. He placed a handful of great past NBA Legends on Goat Mountain. His Goat Mountain consisted of Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan. Anytime he needed advice on improving a skill set, help navigating tough issues with teammates or life in general he went to see one of the aforementioned legends. While it’s great to leverage your peers for advice or family members, nothing will compare to advice from those that did it better than anyone else. There was a time that Kobe wanted to improve his moves in the post, he reached out to arguably the greatest post player of all-time and the inventor of the “Dream Shake”, Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon spend much of the off season working with Kobe. As a result, Kobe became a much more competent post player. To be great, I believe it’s important to study the greats and learn from them. In whatever field you are in, identify who’s great, study them, pick their brain and incorporate what you’ve learned into your style. Who’s in your Goat Mountain?
I will be vulnerable here, his death hit me hard. I was brought to tears when I learned of his untimely passing. I immediately thought about how he was still very young and how he was focused on passing his greatness on the court down to his daughter Gianna, moments later I learned she was with him and passed as well. A truly devastating day. Although I never had the privilege of meeting him, I followed his career so closely that I felt like I knew him. I always admired his work ethic and his will to win. As a lifelong Rockets fan, it was sometimes difficult to express my true fandom, but I made a point to attend the game whenever he was in town. I’m happy to say I even witnessed his last game versus the Rockets in Houston first hand with my best friend and my wife. Long before his passing I had his book Mamba Mentality placed prominently over my desk as a reminder to always strive to be the “Kobe Bryant” of my field, even when times are tough. As I reflect on the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant, I will continue use his legacy as an example of how to be great at my craft, my career and just life in general. Rest in power Kobe!