As a huge fan of basketball and the NBA, I have been eagerly anticipating the continuation of the season in the form of “The Bubble” at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida.
Prior to the NBA restart, I thought about a plethora of things. How would The Bubble setting look? Which players would opt-out? How rusty would the players be? How would I win my fantasy league? Which players would have a breakout party? Who would be proclaimed the “The Bubble” MVP?
As a pure basketball fan, I was thoroughly overjoyed to see Damian Lillard absolutely put the league and the world on notice with his unworldly ability to carry his team to the ultra-competitive eighth seed in the Western Conference. What was his prize? A first round date with the vaunted, top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. I am a New-Jersey born, Garden State-bred and a former New York City resident… with flawed, but serious leanings to West Coast teams. Thus, even though I am from the East Coast, I am also an avid Lakers fan, so my pride for the purple and gold ultimately won out. However, after witnessing the NBA Bubble MVP torch opposing defenses with stoic savvy, the nervousness as a fan that I kept tucked away from Lakers Nation was beginning to show. Still, with an unwavering belief in The King, AD and company, I quietly wondered if the heavy burden of performance would finally affect Lillard and force him to, finally, show some sort of emotion, but in the form of a breakdown.
To know Portland’s franchise player is to know that he rarely shows too much emotion on the court. In the past, he has been asked about this. At a high school game where Lillard hit an electric, game-tying 3-pointer near half court against the top team in the state, he began to adopt his father’s demeanor (cool, calm and collected) during the most tense moments. In this pinnacle of exhilaration, a young Dame reacted with a lot of outward emotion, but as he glanced into the stands and found his father, the only confirmation he gave was a standing fist pump. That was it. At this point, he began to sow seeds in his mind that as the stakes rose, he would keep his emotional level in pocket regardless of the circumstance. Maintaining the ability to master low and high extremes as a means to stay consistent and focused began carving out his future legacy as a person and a player.
The NBA court is his workplace and his canvas to express his art. Outside of these confines, he has honed his basketball craft on asphalt and hardwoods across the nation. Part of his 10,000 hours of work mastery includes emotional intelligence training that helps him stay calm and composed during basketball’s biggest moments. His leadership journey has been marred by setbacks on the court, but throughout, he has earned the moniker of “Dame Time” for his penchant to rise to the occasion and execute during his team’s biggest moments. The combination of his upbringing and his mental acuity regimen has led to the big-game savvy and self-control seen regularly by the NBA community. Here is a small, select snapshot of his end-game marksmanship through the years:
2012: Rookie Dame playing no games versus Western Conference foe, Houston Rockets, as the neophyte showed glimpses of his game-on-the-line abilities
2013: Too much space given by Cleveland Cavaliers defender Alonzo Gee resulting in his 4th game-winner of the year
2014: Fading, clutch long range shot over Chandler Parsons (again) to eliminate the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Quarterfinals (see the above picture)
2016: The “Stoic Assassin” hit a floating dagger with 0.3 seconds left to beat a talented Denver Nuggets team
2017: Brandon Ingram’s long arms were no match for Dame’s stepback 3-ball at home against the Los Angeles Lakers
2018: Hit a tough 3-point basket against the defending NBA Champs in his hometown backyard of The Bay
2019: Crucial game-winning shot heard around the world over one of the best NBA perimeter defenders (Paul George) to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals
As a result, other teammates started to buy-in and believe in the example of their leader; they began incorporating some of those same ingredients in their own recipes of success. It’s no secret that today’s version of the Portland Trailblazers are known as a workman-like group that goes as Damian Lillard goes. He is the definition of clutch and raises the level of play among his teammates, especially in crunch time. Leaders like Lillard reach this level because he took the time to inventory himself, honestly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses, actively work on self and team issues, place his teammates in better positions to succeed and maintain self-control during the most stressful situations.
Throughout history, some of the highest performers have had the ability to channel their emotions deeply in order to execute consistently on any stage. Being present, mindful and self-regulated provides a pathway to conduct business with a high emotional IQ to not only deal with stressful people, places or things; this mind state also allows for a person to master the flaws and deficiencies within self, as well. Research has shown that HR and talent acquisition teams are keying in on candidates with higher emotional intelligence ratings. According to an article by Michael Marshall (2018), some studies indicated that 60% of the larger companies have EQ Emotional Intelligence in their employment pre-screening tests and process. He further asserts that “studies indicate that those individuals struggling in business; owner, management or staff, employee tend to score low in EQ Emotional Intelligence and for the reverse, individuals doing well and more successful in business tend to score high in EQ Emotional Intelligence.” This learned behavior can be the key to the communication skills needed that will help you and your team achieve greater progress and business results over time.