VISIONs of Greatness – Aiming Low
VISION ’23 is all about taking an MSP from good to great. To celebrate this theme, we’re sharing ”VISIONs of Greatness” with the MSP community: stories from outside the IT space that shine a light on what it means to be great.
In this VISION of Greatness, find out how Kobe Bryant not only changed basketball, but basketball … shoes.
The Denver Nuggets just defeated the Miami Heat in the 77th NBA Finals. The very first finals were back in 1947, and if you look at footage of that series, it’s almost like you’re watching a different sport.
It’s not that those guys didn’t have game, because they did. It’s just … well, things change. The game of basketball has, like most human endeavors, come a long way since the middle of the 20th century. Heck, it’s come a long way since 2003. Just look up a picture of the 2003 NBA draft class … Those baggy suits!
But what about shoes?
Surely those haven’t changed much in the last couple decades – right?
Wrong. Check out NBA games from 2005, even 2010, and you know what you’ll see on players’ feet? High-tops.
The supposedly ankle-protecting high-tops of the early 2000s have given way to the sleek, low-top sneakers favored by today’s players.
So, what happened? In short, Kobe Bryant noticed something.
The Beautiful Shoe
Since Kobe Bean Bryant’s sudden and tragic death in 2020, people from every corner of the basketball world have come forward with their own Kobe stories. Here’s a good one:
A lot of people don’t know this, but Kobe grew up in Italy and spoke fluent Italian. During his time abroad, he fell in love with two sports: basketball and football.
No, not that football. The other one. With the feet. What a lot of folks around the world call “The Beautiful Game.”
Kobe pursued a career in one sport, but never lost his interest in the other.
It’s 2008. Kobe has a meeting with Nike’s design team to discuss his latest signature show, the Kobe IV.
Nike has ideas, prototypes.
But Kobe doesn’t like what they show him. In fact, he wants them to go in an entirely different direction: lower.
You see, Kobe had noticed something watching soccer: no one wore high-tops. That got him thinking. Maybe all that so-called ‘ankle support’ is just dead weight … Maybe it was time for a low-top b-ball shoe …
Nike’s creative director was skeptical. A low-top? Really?
Months later, the Kobe IV was released, a true low-top basketball shoe.
Now, low-tops are the norm in the NBA.
The Insights
What’s the moral of the story? That low-tops are superior to high-tops?
No (and in fact, the jury’s out on whether high-tops or low-tops are better for performance and ankle health).
What this story teaches us – business owners, leaders, and anyone striving to be great – is to …
LOOK AROUND
The world is a big place and inspiration can come from anywhere.
So get out there, look around, and open yourself up to the best teacher of all: experience.
And don’t be afraid to ask: Why are things done this way? Why not that way?
This story also teaches us to …
BE BRAVE
When you notice that everyone’s doing something one way, even though you think doing it some other way would be just as good – or even better – be brave and find out if you’re right!
If you aren’t, you aren’t. Lesson learned. And if you are right, who knows …
You just might reach new heights – or lows ????.
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If you enjoyed this piece, look out for the next “VISION of Greatness” from The 20. And don’t forget to register for VISION ’23, the MSP event of the year!
Spots are filling up fast, so secure your seat today – and get ready to take your MSP from good to GREAT!