Former NBA player JJ Redick recently shared about his experience with Kobe Bryant during their time together on Team USA.
In 2006, JJ was a senior at Duke and one of the best (if not the best) college basketball player. He was on his way to claiming the all-time scoring title for his school and the ACC conference, as well as the NCAA record for three-point shots.
He was one of two college players asked to try out with Team USA for the 2006 FIBA Championships. After the first practice, Kobe - who at this point was already one of the three best players in the world - asked Redick if he wanted to shoot around.
Redick, initially believing this was a friendly gesture, happily agreed to get additional practice time in with the perennial NBA All-Star.
It didn't take more than three shots into the after-practice shootaround until Redick realized what was actually going on.
"We get to like the third spot and I realize as every time I go up and I jump and I release, he’s studying my shot. Like he asked me to shoot with him so that he could try to pick up something about how I shot. Like that’s just the way he was. He was always just looking to get better." - (source)
Despite being in the NBA for almost a decade and having nine all-star appearances and three NBA titles, Kobe was always looking for an edge - even if it meant learning from a college player.
Put It Into Practice
It's common for leaders to only seek learning opportunities from those ahead of them. It's natural; we want to help to get there, so we only look to find and learn from people who have been there.
And oftentimes, our ego prevents us from looking to learn from everyone having success, especially when they're behind us in the journey.
The way to 'put it into practice' this week is to open awareness to who around you is doing something really well.
Is there a coworker who has succeeded in getting her team to buy in?
Schedule time to learn what she's doing so effectively.
Is there someone who reports to you who seems to always be ontop of their work?
Ask them how they manage their priorities, calendar, and workflow in a curious manner.
Do you know a young marketer who is crushing their social media content?
Be open to learning what they are doing so well (and be willing to try something different outside your comfort zone).
Instead of allowing our default "I'm ahead of them" narrative, try reframing your internal focus to, "what can I learn from them today?"
Then put it into practice.
You might even surprise yourself about what that less experienced person can teach you - and how big of an impact you make on them by investing the time to learn.
As JJ Redick also shared, "And by the way, it was a favor because that still was one of my favorite basketball memories that I have is post-practice shooting with Kobe Bryant.”