How to Be Like Mike (2 page)

Passion & Energy.
Enthusiasm is one of the greatest emotions. Without it there is no achievement. With it, a new idea can win over an old idea.

Hard Work.
If you want to leave your footprints on the sands of time, you’d better wear work shoes.

Perseverance.
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.

Responsibility.
“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility.”

—Michael Korda

Influence.
The greatest of motivational principles is: People do what people see. As adults we are still playing Follow the Leader.

Competing and Winning.
Winners expect to win in advance. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Teamwork.
People support what they help create.

Leadership.
Good leadership should do more than attract followers. It should produce more leaders.

Respect, Trust, Loyalty.
There’s only one thing finer than a friend you can trust, and that’s one who trusts you.

Character.
We all want character, but not the trials that produce it. You can’t build character in a cocoon.

—Pat Williams

FOREWORD

By Grant Hill
Orlando Magic All-Star

Even though tens of thousands wear Air Jordans, there will never be another who fills Michael Jordan’s shoes—and I know from personal experience! I am flattered by comparisons, but realistically I can never live up to his achievements. What MJ has done for basketball, sports in general, race relations . . . it’s incalculable. It’s time to give “Who’s going to be the next Michael Jordan?” a rest. It’s unfair to Michael and to every other aspiring athlete.

The fascination with MJ continues. Will he return? People want him back so badly. He has had such an enormous hold on us and our culture. His presence as an active player has been sorely missed.

The eleven chapters that follow capture Michael’s persona perfectly. He schooled us on and off the court, and as one of his students, I give him A pluses across the board.

Focus.
With a game on the line, MJ could achieve a level of focus no one else could reach. He never got rattled. His concentration was impenetrable. It was part of his genius.

Passion & Energy.
Michael is passionate about basketball and truly loved playing. His energy level allowed him to overcome fatigue in a remarkable, transcendent way.