Kobe’s Legacy: Modeling the “Mamba Mentality” in Your Business
The devastating loss of Kobe Bryant will not only leave a void on the hardwood, but one in the business world as well. One that will be empty for some time to come.
Though we grieve and feel his absence deeply, we know that Kobe would want us to focus on his legacy and to think of him as he wanted: “a person that’s overachieved...That means I put a lot of work in and squeezed every ounce of juice out of this orange that I could." Kobe Bryant did just that. He trained, and worked, and lived in a way that maximized each day of his life: every game and every business endeavor. ‘Good enough’ meant nothing to him and as a result, he has left his mark on a world eager to continue his legacy.
What made Bryant so successful both on and off the court? It all comes down to the foundation on which he built himself... A foundation that he honed through years of sweat and tears: his “Mamba Mentality”. Kobe coined this term to describe his level of intense focus and defined it as “the means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself...a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday." Based on Bryant’s alter ego on the court, this method of concentration evolved into something that he carried with him into his business practices. It became a way of life.
Kobe Bryant’s incredible drive and infinite curiosity produced a legacy that both athletes and executives should strive to emulate for decades to come.
Focus on the game, not the score.
If you want to win, improve your skills. This was a truth that Kobe Bryant lived by throughout his life. Bryant’s legacy was an example of what one can attain when focused on the journey versus the results.
Drawing from years of experience on the court, Bryant would study a problem, discover what needed to be changed, and then focus on doing exactly that. Every business owner, thought leader, and successful team member must also first understand how to learn, how to compete, and how to win. When Earvin “Magic” Johnson said, “Basketball was a tremendous platform...to start my brand, to understand winning, and be a competitor,” he was referring to this priceless ability. The ability to understand that this game is followed by a hundred more, each building off of the one before.
Truly great athletes and business people know that success is not about the final score. Focusing on the finish line distracts from your purpose, your team, and the challenges you still must overcome in the future. It is playing this game like it is your last, no matter the score, because the journey and the approach are the essence of The Mamba Mentality.
Appreciation for the process allowed Bryant to view his business ventures and the companies he founded as simply another opportunity to learn. When he decided to take on venture capitalism, Bryant knew he wanted to turn that world upside down, just like he had in basketball, but he narrowed his focus on what he needed to know in order to win, who he needed to talk to, why others had failed, and what would still matter in 10 years. Just like in basketball, he played each game while preparing for the next. This is how he succeeded when so many others failed. Warren Buffet, a brilliant leader in the world of financial investments, lives by the same concept, “Games are won by players who focus on the field, not the ones looking at the scoreboard.” Those who worry about the score are easily distracted and discouraged. Successful companies and brilliant marketers focus on what they need to improve and where they are going in 10 years, not on the booms and busts of those around them. The playing field is where the choices you make change the game.
Ignore the distractions and fear.
Kobe Bryant knew firsthand the kind of interference that life runs on your game and business. On March 19, 1999, Allen Iverson scored 41 points and 10 assists with 21-year-old Kobe guarding him. Having studied and mentally competed against Iverson for almost three years, Bryant was furious. His hard work was not enough. So he became obsessed. He studied every game, every success, every struggle of Iverson’s career. He searched incessantly for any weaknesses.
Almost a year later, on February 20, 2000, Bryant finally faced Iverson again. And shut him down. All his hard work had finally paid off - but it wasn’t enough. Bryant was frustrated that anyone had been able to derail him in the first place. As he explained in an article for The Players Tribune, “No one was going to have that kind of control over my focus…” Kobe realized that his obsession over beating Iverson wasn’t so much a decision he made for his future as it was a fear-based reaction.
"There will always be voices of discouragement and fear in your head battling to drown out your passion and creativity."
Bryant understood after his victory over Iverson that he should be the only one who ever determined the object of his concentration. He would never again make a decision out of fear or intimidation, because then he was handing control to his opponent.
Every brilliant and successful leader in any field has made this very same decision. They choose their target, or that of their company, and lock in until they accomplish their goal. No one else is allowed to sideline the process.
Who controls your focus? The nay-sayers in your life that assure you no one has succeeded with this business model before? All the distracting ads that push you to try this strategy or that secret formula? Perhaps it is an amazing opportunity that will derail you from finishing your goal. Part of the Mamba Mentality is choosing to do “more than the next guy and then trusting in the work you’ve put in when it’s time to perform...[because] if you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.”
View setbacks as opportunities.
As human beings, we are wired to avoid failure. This is a survival instinct and honed correctly can be one of our greatest assets. Like Kobe, our lives, businesses, and legacies are not about survival. Kobe Bryant started his career as a great basketball player, but he wasn’t satisfied staying with what he knew worked...and this carried into his business legacy as well. Every company he worked with or spearheaded searched for new ways to be the best, and that meant taking risks. Which also meant setbacks. To be game changers, world shakers, visionaries, thought leaders, ‘successful’, means to fail and miss the mark. We let ourselves and our teams down.
When an idea flounders, a deal breaks apart, or an investment miscarries, our instinct is to back down and never make that same attempt again. The business world is risky and more of those around us are folding and throwing in their cards every day.
Brilliant companies (and people) are those that have pushed themselves to the limit. They faced the challenges, and sometimes lost, but then they got up again and found another challenge. Kobe Bryant believed that leaders fail because they don’t have the nerve to think outside the box and push the limits. A healthy amount of failure leads to three aspects every successful business needs:
Stimulation. Defeat causes anxiety, which has been proven to drive increased brain activity. Take a moment to acknowledge the loss and determine the cause behind it. Then set new goals and make the most of your mind spurring you on to the next achievement.
Innovation. When you are comfortable, that is a pretty clear signal that your business is in a rut. We all need failure to remind us that change is possible and preferable to stagnation. Take the opportunity to shake up the routine.
Team-building. Setbacks bring people together because we all need someone we trust who can encourage and push us to get up and keep going. Embrace these opportunities and use them to refocus your community, ask for some advice, and build stronger relationships.
To build, you must first break down what is weak, redundant, and out-of-date. Failure is where your business grows. Like Kobe, those who are determined chase success. Especially through every setback.
Use a lack of knowledge as incentive to grow.
Kobe Bryant turned his obsession for basketball into one for business and everything that involved. He approached this new challenge in the same way he did his training as an athlete, by cold-calling CEOs of Fortune 500 companies to learn what it takes to succeed. He studied the best in the field and copied or built off of their moves. Like Bryant, many great athletes that break into the business field are armed with only their mentality, knowledge of their own game, and a competitive spirit. They often don’t possess the experience or tools that many consider necessary for success in the world off-court. Athletes that have successfully transitioned into other pursuits didn’t allow their lack of knowledge to slow them down.
In the same way, anyone can gain knowledge and experience. The tools to make your brand succeed are available and more accessible to those breaking-in than ever before.
"Drive and commitment cannot be taught, and the world of business is no place for the lazy."
Independent learning requires great commitment and some may struggle to transition from the structure of other’s expectations to the wide field of self-education. The business world is choked with distractions. In order to succeed, we all need intense focus on our goals, as Kobe demonstrated throughout his career and life. That drive to conquer whatever stands between you and achieving your goal is the very essence of “Mamba Mentality,” as is the desire to break free of accepted boundaries in business and become autodidacts (or self-taught) like Kobe.
Of course, Kobe Bryant wasn’t born with this ability. The habits he formed at a young age, and then continuously reinforced throughout adulthood, became the launching pad for his career in athletics and then venture capitalism. The following habits are ones Kobe understood and routines we all should emulate in our business careers:
Create a community. Brilliant minds attract each other, and people tend to only be as motivated as their friends and close circles. Search out driven, passionate people to encourage and challenge you. Make the most of Facebook and LinkedIn groups and always hold quality over quantity: one driven group is far superior to several that are mediocre. Seek out the experts, those with authority and experience in your subject or field. If possible, find a mentor because life experience cannot be gained simply through an article or book.
Learning as a lifestyle. As your knowledge grows, never lose the ability to wonder. Discover new things every day. Read daily. Try new podcasts and subscribe to new channels. A lack of wonder is one of the first things to signal a business (and life) in stagnation. Not everything you read or hear is true. And even if it is true, no one has the final word on any subject. Though it is important to know what works, exploring outside the norm is what separates the good from the brilliant.
Contribute to your goal every day. This habit keeps your target in sight and helps you to ignore the distractions. Read, brainstorm, or create at least a half an hour each day. Just like in school, binging for several hours on the weekend and then forgetting about your goal for the rest of the week cuts down on your overall retention. Organize your schedule of learning in short, frequent bursts to keep focused.
Those, like Kobe, who are focused, driven, and willing to work as hard as it takes to make their goals will succeed in their fields. You are not limited by your knowledge or experience. With a few simple habits and a strong work ethic, you can learn whatever you need in order to achieve your business ambitions.
Kobe Bryant’s legacy was filled with an all-encompassing passion for living, learning, and leading. The world is waiting again for new forerunners who will stand on Kobe’s shoulders and those of other giants like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. We need more legends in the making who will play the game, think outside the box, and give back to their communities. We need a new generation with impossible standards. Will that be you?
