Written by Conor Meyler - Don't try be Like Mike, be yourself.

‘The Last Dance’ documentary on Netflix following Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls on their journey to winning 6 NBA titles has gathered a lot of attention recently, and rightly so. The timing has been excellent as sports fans we have been craving sport lately and we also love an insight into successful teams and what made them successful. 

The focus of this documentary is Michael Jordan. I came away from the 10-fold series in awe of Michael and what he achieved. His incredible work ethic, his confidence and living in the moment mindset.

As I am currently studying leadership, Michael’s leadership style got me thinking. Would I really want to be Michael Jordan and live like he did? And the short answer is… No.

Firstly I want to clarify, Michael is one of the most successful leaders we have ever seen in any sport. His 6 NBA titles and 14 All Star game selections speaks volumes. In my opinion Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.

What I am questioning is, are there other ways to lead successfully? The answer is yes.

My worry for coaches, parents and even athletes themselves is that they will watch ‘The Last Dance’ and try to emulate Michael Jordan’s mindset and impose it onto those in their care. The truth is, no matter how much you try, you can’t be Michael Jordan.

Michael’s mindset is based on his past experiences growing up, his battles and journey on and off the court. His influences played a massive role such as his coaches, family and friends. These people helped shape Michael’s values and how he would carry himself as a person and as a basketball player. Michael had to figure these things out.

Overcoming adversity and dealing with setbacks are a huge part of building resilience. This resilience is very difficult to teach without ever experiencing situations that take you out of your comfort zone. Finding yourself missing shots, losing games, getting injured. These things provide an opportunity to grow a challenge mindset and how you interpret future situations. We in turn interpret future challenges based on our thoughts and beliefs based on our previous experiences.

“When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change”, Wayne Dyer.

The Last Dance shows us a lot of the sporting highs and some lows. We see very little into Michael’s home life and his life off the court. Therefore, we can’t tell for sure what Michael was doing away from basketball? How did his values which helped him achieve so much on the court help or hinder him off the court?

Our values are not something we wake up and decide someday based on a documentary we watched. Like Michael they come based on our past experiences and our future ambitions. Each of us as individuals will vary in what we value. If we have similar values, we may see some as negotiable and others as non-negotiable. If we have the exact same negotiable and non-negotiable values what will differ is how we behave and act our values.

Ask yourself, what is important to me? What kind of person am I? What kind of person do I want to be?

There is no doubt that Michael was a leader. A leader is the most significant influencer in any environment. I believe that Michael, like many other world class sporting leaders demonstrated certain values which made him successful

Can we emulate Michael’s values without his behaviours?

My answer is yes.

Michael’s behaviours meant he lost the friendship of his teammates, at no point in the documentary do any of Michael’s teammates refer to him as friend or someone whom they enjoyed time away from the court with. Was Michael a bully at times? Would he fit into the All Black mantra ‘No Dickheads’?

Michael’s teammates spoke about the respect the had for him. They respected Michael due to his competence and they knew they needed him to win titles, but at what cost?

For Michael it would appear he would rather be a hated winner than a liked loser, even if that meant he was hated by his teammates. Michael pushed and enforced his values on the team even when it boiled over at times. We see from the documentary that leadership can be lonely if you allow it to be.

“If you want to make everyone happy don’t be a leader, sell ice cream” Steve Jobs

Having read ‘The Captain Class’ by Sam Walker, it is notable that all the most successful teams in the world have a lot in common. They all have/had a leader who displayed certain characteristics which helped lead their team to success. I look at two of the most successful leaders in the sporting world, Richie Mc Caw and Carlos Puyol. These players will have some similar values as Michael Jordan, yet they behave differently. While valuing hard work and credibility they are humble, show trust and go about their business quietly, yet still lead two of the most successful sporting teams ever. I look at leadership on a local level, Brian Dooher and Peter Canavan. Two successful leaders with some similar values yet behave differently. No two elite performers are exactly the same.

While watching ‘The Test’ on Amazon prime at the moment and seeing how the Australian Cricket team operate, they value being good people as well as good cricketers. Or as they like to call it, being ‘good blokes’. They draw a line between ‘banter’ and ‘abuse’. A different approach to some yet who is to say one method is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

Would Michael Jordan’s values co-incide with a GAA team? Absolutely. Would his behaviours? Debatable. Basketball and GAA are two very different sports. Basketball, although a team sport only play 5v5 which is usually centered around two/three main players while the rest play part roles. These NBA players spend an incredible amount of time together training and playing due to the number of games in their season and not to mention the fact they are professional.

Within the GAA I would find it harmful to encourage players to ‘Be Like Mike’. Players must be encouraged to be authentic and allowed to find their own leadership styles. A GAA player who tries to emulate Michael Jordan will only leave themselves tired, lonely and in my opinions not very successful.

Mateship and friendship is an important part of the GAA, playing with your club and county with friends and family you have grown up alongside.

Idolise players certainly, watch their skills, learn from them, pick out some of their good traits and the positive ways in which they live their lives. But remember to bring it all back to you.

Some of the best sportspeople in the world are also the best thieves, they steal ideas and moves from others but make it their own. Be a good person as well as a good footballer.

Never wish your GAA career away by trying so hard to be someone else that you forget to be yourself. You will never be the best copycat. You will never be Michael Jordan.

Be authentic, be you.

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” Oscar Wilde.