Be a Star in your Role

"Be a star in your role, and for me, that's high-energy, use my motor, just play hard. Play hard, be relentless on the glass. And that's what I bring to this team. That's my job. Just be a star in your role, and I try to do that every night." (Tristan Thompson)

Tristan Thompson's huge double-double in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals and unselfish play in all of the games helped lead the Cleveland Cavs to the World Championship.  Good thing for Cavs fans and players that he didn't pout about his boring and un-glamorous role.  He might not be Lebron James, but he can now call himself a CHAMPION!

Many of us are in positions or roles that we don't like.  Some of us are in leadership positions where we have disgruntled team members.  I want tell you a little story.  A story that I don't think I will ever forget.

5 Leadership Lessons from the 2016 NBA Finals

The 2016 NBA Finals was one of the most memorable series in recent history.  It truly was historic.  In fact, last night ESPN re-aired their 30 for 30 entitled "Believeland", but this time had a new ending.  Cleveland has been the poster child for bad luck and hard times when it comes to sports having not won a championship in any sport since 1964. 

"Believeland" pointed this out, agonizly so, for Cleveland fans.  But all of that changed on Father's Day when the Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers completed the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history and won the NBA Championship.  The Cavs were down 3-1 to the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.  The Warriors were the overwhelming favorite with Steph Curry, the league's first-ever unanimous MVP winner (that's right...Magic, Bird, MJ, Shaq...they never were unanimous).

Watching this series unfold got me to thinking about a few lessons that we all can learn as we try to maximize our potential for success and become leaders in life. 

Here are five leadership lessons learned from the 2016 NBA Finals.