Founders #340 Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant
Pressure as Fuel
- Michael Jordan used trash talk as a way to increase pressure on himself.
- This self-imposed pressure fueled his performance and pushed him to deliver.
Owning Mistakes
- Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant owned their mistakes without elaborate excuses.
- Their directness and accountability set a strong example for their teams.
Relentless Expectations
- Michael Jordan's relentless pursuit of excellence extended to his teammates.
- He pushed them hard, even flipping over a training table to motivate an injured player.
What I learned from reading Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover and Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness by Tim Grover.
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(3:00) What I am giving you is insight into the mentality of those who have found unparalleled success by trusting their own instincts.
(3:00) Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson. (Founders #240)
(6:00) Michael was the best because he was relentless about winning. No matter how many times he won he always wanted more and he was always willing to do whatever it took to get it.
(6:00) Michael never cared about achieving mere greatness. He cared about being the best ever.
(7:00) These are the most driven individuals you'll ever know, with an unmatched genius for what they do: they don't just perform a job, they reinvent it.
(8:00) Alex Rodriguez interviews Kobe Bryant
(11:00) The most important thing, the one thing that defines and separates him from any other competitor: He's addicted to the exquisite rush of success and he'll alter his entire life to get it.
(11:00) The mind will play tricks on you. The mind was telling you that you couldn't go any further. The mind was telling you how much it hurt. The mind was telling you these things to keep you from reaching your goal. But you have to see past that, turn it all off if you are going to get where you want to be. —
—Driven From Within by Michael Jordan and Mark Vancil. (Founders #213)
(12:30) If one thing separated Michael from every other player, it was his stunning ability to block out everything and everyone else. He was able to shut out everything except his mission.
(14:00) At some point you made something simple into something complicated.
(16:00) Being at the extreme in your craft is very important in the age of leverage. The best person in the world at anything gets to do it for everyone.
(20:00) A 600 page biography of Kobe Bryant: The Life of Kobe Bryant by Roland Lazenby. (Founders #272)
(21:00) This could be an ad for FOUNDERS NOTES
The greats never stop learning.
All the hours of work have created an unstoppable internal resource you can draw on in any situation.
(22:00) Mostly he tested himself. It seemed that he discovered the secret quite early in his competitive life: the more pressure he heaped on himself the greater his ability to rise to the occasion.
— Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby. (Founders #212)
(23:00) Kobe and Ahmad Rashad interview
(23:00) Be indifferent to the opinions of other people. Michael does not care what you think. Kobe does not care what you think. There is no one that can hold them to a higher standard than themselves.
(34:00) How Kobe Bryant knew he was going to win a lot of championships:
It was easy to size other players up in the NBA. I found that a lot of guys played for financial stability. Once they got that financial stability the passion, the work ethic, and the obsessiveness was gone. Once I saw that I thought, “This is going to be like taking candy from a baby. No wonder Michael Jordan wins all these fucking championships.”
(35:00) Michael Jordan worked on consistency, relentlessly.
(49:00) A good competitor always evaluates his oppenent. And you understand him for what he really is. You never try to give him confidence you try to take it at all times. — Michael Jordan video
(53:00) Everyone wanted to be like Mike. Mike did not want to be like anyone else.
(1:07:00) Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda. (Founders #281)
(1:07:00) Stop adding. Start deleting. Winning demands total focus.
(1:11:00) It started with hope.
It started with hope.
We went from a shitty team to one of the all time greatest dynasties.
All you needed was one little match to start that whole fire.
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“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth
Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast