Yesterday, Saturday, I watched The Last Dance for the second time. I saw it from start to finish, all 10 episodes. It’s the docuseries about Michael Jordan and his story with the Chicago Bulls, the iconic basketball team from the best league on the planet, the NBA.
Michael Jordan transformed a losing team into one of the greatest basketball teams in history, if not the greatest. Beautiful stories, when you get to know them from the inside, acquire much more value. Everyone saw on television Michael Jordan scoring 30 points, Scottie Pippen being his loyal defender, or Horace Grant grabbing 15 rebounds each game; everything on TV seemed like a perfect melody.
Nothing could be further from reality; the story of the Bulls’ six championships is a story of adversity, problems, and challenges, in which a leader, icon, and the greatest athlete in human history realized one thing: if he didn’t get his team to work together, he wasn’t going to achieve glory. Around this time, a man named Phil Jackson appeared, the team’s coach, who introduced revolutionary methods such as simply teaching the team how to breathe or giving them books on personal growth. Phil Jackson loved reading, so he recommended titles such as these:
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, used to inspire and reflect on attention and presence when stepping onto the court.
- Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman, specifically gifted to Michael Jordan to encourage internal growth and mental calmness.
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu, to foster strategy, discipline, teamwork, and mental control under pressure.
Everyone has their own method. Personally, breathing, reading, and writing help me tremendously during moments of high pressure in the company, inevitable moments that will occur no matter what. If you face these moments calmly, you can leverage them to propel yourself forward and emerge stronger. One of the things I had abandoned lately is writing, and giving up something that fulfills you is never an option. So here I am again, ready to share and create a champion team like Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and their six championship rings.
The Chicago Bulls had two glorious eras. The first one was from 1991 to 1993, when Michael Jordan was at his physical and mental peak, and they became champions by consecutively defeating the Los Angeles Lakers—Siroko’s beloved team—the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Phoenix Suns.
Michael Jordan retired after that last championship and experienced one of the hardest episodes of his life, the death of his father, James R. Jordan, at age 56.
The second era of glory, from 1996 to 1998, is one of the most legendary periods in sports history. Jordan returned on March 19th, 1995, after almost two years in retirement, wearing number 45 on his back. His team broke the NBA record for victories in a single season with 72 wins and just 10 losses, becoming the greatest team in NBA history.
When you face a setback, it’s time to stop, reflect, and take action. These are the steps I use to fix a problem:
QUANTIFY THE PROBLEM – BE AWARE
We may want to reinvent the wheel, but 90% of business problems revolve around numbers, whether positive or negative. You might have problems growing too fast in a short time, leading to cash-flow mismatches, team imbalances, or new demands you’re not prepared for. Alternatively, you might face issues from selling too little, not meeting forecasts, or even selling too much and generating so much traffic that your servers can’t handle the load.
In the end, problems are numbers. What numbers are we talking about concretely? How much money do I need? How much money will I need in the future?
RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM – BE VULNERABLE
Admit you’ve made mistakes. This might seem obvious, but it’s not that common. We often try to pass the ball, to use a basketball analogy, blaming the external world for issues that are solely our responsibility—or, at least, our shared responsibility within a team. I can’t solve something if I don’t take charge of my mistakes, vulnerabilities, virtues, and flaws. There’s no other way.
ASK FOR HELP – TAKE ACTION
After quantifying, measuring, and recognizing the mistakes you’ve made, it’s time to take action. How can I solve it? Surely, there are people who have already faced your problem—possibly even bigger ones.
As one of my mentors always tells me: Hire someone who “has already done it.” Those of us who have experienced many complicated situations learn to put things into perspective and understand that problems, however big, have solutions. The more times you’ve faced similar situations, the less complicated they seem to tackle. Work together with professionals who’ve gone through or have done exactly what you need, who can explain step-by-step the best solutions. Ask as many people as possible who’ve been there—directors, CEOs, mentors, psychologists—anyone who can provide insights. Call them, sit down with them. People love helping others and feeling useful; most will likely help you for free.
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS
Organizations, companies, sports teams—it doesn’t matter. Look for long-term solutions, solutions that protect you for a long time and provide you the calmness necessary to make all those decisions you need from now on: new hires, new processes, or new technology to address your biggest worries.
Focus on a solution that isn’t just a quick fix. It should enable you to work calmly enough to take your organization or team to another level, to the level of NBA world champions.
The Chicago Bulls signed Dennis Rodman after losing Horace Grant, knowing he was a controversial figure, someone who loved parties and required special handling within the group—a rebellious soul who occasionally escaped to Las Vegas. At the same time, he was an extraordinary team player who performed exceptionally and would give an arm for his teammates if needed. Integrating him required tremendous teamwork.
But the Chicago Bulls became champions again. With Michael Jordan’s return following his father’s tragic death and the signing of Dennis Rodman, that free spirit, they achieved another three consecutive championships, cementing themselves as the greatest team ever to step onto a basketball court.
Peace.
“The last shot”
