There is one thing we all can learn from Lebron James: Be willing to subordinate your ego but not your values. Authentic leadership, to paraphrase from Nancy Koehn, is having your mission and purpose aligned with your values; the driving force behind why you do what you do. After leaving Cleveland in 2010 to join the Heat, Dan Gilbert, the owner of the team and the fans in Cleveland publicly burned his jersey and questioned his commitment and integrity. In spite of their castigation, he went back to Cleveland when he became a free agent after four years. He had promised to never forget where he came from no matter what happened. His commitment to Akron and Ohio is unquestionable. Delivering a title to his home town was more important than winning multiples titles somewhere else. He put his pride on the side to work with Dan Gilbert to come back home to turn a nightmare into a dream. Yesterday, he decided to join a historic franchise: The Lakers. After having delivered the title to his hometown, what matter now is positioning his family and transcending the sport of Basketball. He certainly knows that with the Lakers that he won’t call all the shots. His opinion will always matter but here, he is and will always remain a piece of the puzzle. However, by putting his pride and ego aside, he is positioning himself for the next phase of his life.
Lebron’s career has not been perfect but it has been damn close to perfection. He has surpassed all the hype and is on the verge of becoming one of the best or the best to ever play the game of basketball. With his commitment to his values and is willingness to do what is important to him and his family, he is gradually transcending the sport of Basketball. As long as he does not lose sight of what matter or why he is doing what he does, he will one day belong to the pantheon of the sport universe. He is one of a kind so let’s enjoy a ride.
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