Kobe Bryant’s Best: The Mindset Of A Winner
"Leadership is lonely ... I'm not going to be afraid of confrontation to get us to where we need to go. There's a big misconception where people thinking winning or success comes from everybody putting their arms around each other and singing kumbaya and patting them on the back when they mess up, and that's just not reality. If you are going to be a leader, you are not going to please everybody. You have to hold people accountable. Even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable." - Kobe Bryant
Having a bad day? Scared to make the next big move in your business? Struggling with avalanches of fear and self-doubt? These things are an inevitable, and unavoidable part of being a leader. On those days when your reserves are running low or dangerously empty, it helps to be reminded you’re not alone. As Kobe says “everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.”
Watch this video anytime you’re feeling low (it’s short - 11 minutes).
I hope you enjoy it.
Here are some of my favorite parts:
On his approach to success and having a clear goal
“Everything was done to try and learn how to become a better basketball player. Everything. So when you have the point of view then literally the world becomes your library to help you become better at your craft… because you know what you want the world is giving you the information 100% because you know what you’re looking for.”
On rupturing his achilles heel and staying to take the shot, and walking off the court afterwards
“ This is just another obstacle … this obstacle is not going to define me.”
On what he’d say to a recruiter
“You want first place, you go with me. You want second place, you go somewhere else.”
On being worried about how others perceive him when he made mistakes
“Get over yourself … That’s where you go get over yourself right? Like you’re worried about how people may perceive you and you’re walking around embarrassed because you shot five airballs. …you’re not that important … then after that it’s okay, and you ask why did those airballs happen?”
On being the best
”I went to GOAT mountain. And I talked to Magic, Michael, Kamala, Jerry West, Oscar Robinson, Bill Russell … and I’d ask them “what did you do? What were your experiences .. and I started understanding the ins and outs of the game, and how they approach things and their level of detail and obsessiveness.”
On how he made a decision to invest in a business
“First question is do you understand the business … and is this a business I can help with. Then the entrepreneurs, the leaders themselves - do you believe in them, is the culture they created sustainable. Are they people that are obsessives and in turn have they created a culture of obsessiveness … so I tend to look at these four factors.”
On encouraging his [ business] team to achieve the impossible
“Those projects that we know how to do .. that’s not the project for us. .. the projects that we say “I don’t know how to do that ... I don’t even know if we can …those are the things we want because through that curiosity, you’ll reach a level that you didn't think was possible..”
More Favorite Kobe Bryant Quotes
“I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.”
“The biggest dreams aren’t fueled by belief. They’re fueled by doubt.”
“This is the moment I accept the most challenging times will always be behind me and in front of me.”
“Determination silences doubters.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.”
“Passion is the fuel for success.”
“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.”
“Boos don’t block dunks.”
“The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.”
“If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will do it for you.”
“I close my eyes and just reminisce. That’s what keeps me sane.”
“Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no gray area. No almost.”
“Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success.”
“Sports are such a great teacher. I think of everything they’ve taught me: camaraderie, humility, how to resolve differences.”
“Dedication sees dreams come true.”
“Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.”
“Be willing to sacrifice anything, but compromise nothing in your quest to be your best.”
“I’m chasing perfection.”
“We don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer.”
“I realized that intimidation didn’t really exist if you’re in the right frame of mind.”
“The odd thing is that I wound up learning more about the world around me by having a singular focus inside of me.”
“People just don’t understand how obsessed I am with winning.”
“I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.”
“The examples are endless but my philosophy is simple. Once I knew my seed, I was able to discover my muse and my purpose for being was crystal clear.”
“The important thing is that your teammates have to know you’re pulling for them and you really want them to be successful.”
“It doesn’t bother me at all. Do I hold any hard feelings? Not at all. Life is too short to sit around and hold grudges. I don’t hold any whatsoever.”
“I’m extremely willful to win, and I respond to challenges. It’s not a challenge to me to win the scoring title, because I know I can.”
“My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.”
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what the injury – unless it’s completely debilitating – I’m going to be the same player I’ve always been. I’ll figure it out. I’ll make some tweaks, some changes, but I’m still coming.”
“The beauty in being blessed with talent is rising above doubters to create a beautiful moment.”
“One thing you gotta know about me is I have absolutely no filter. I have no problem saying what the hell I think of someone.”
“The topic of leadership is a touchy one. A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord. Throughout my years, I haven’t had that fear.”
“The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win.”
“I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.”
“Can I jump over two or three guys like I used to? No. Am I as fast as I used to be? No, but I still have the fundamentals and smarts. That’s what enables me to still be a dominant player. As a kid growing up, I never skipped steps. I always worked on fundamentals because I know athleticism is fleeting.”
“I focus on one thing and one thing only – that’s trying to win as many championships as I can.”
“Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.”
“Use your success, wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose.”
“Christmas morning, I’m going to open presents with my kids. I’m going to take pictures of them opening the presents. Then I’m going to come to the Staples Center and get ready to work.”
“If you want to be great at something, there’s a choice you have to make. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that. Family time, hanging out with friends, being a great friend, being a great son, nephew, whatever the case may be.”
“What people see on court is another side of me; it’s not me.”
“We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.”
“If I panic, everyone else panics.”
“My brain . . . it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I sit there and have to face myself and tell myself, ‘You’re a failure’ . . . I think that’s almost worse than death.”
“The people who truly know me know what I’m like. There have been people who try to say things that aren’t fair, and I check them. And then they don’t like me because I checked them.”
“Trust me, setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and heartache…”
I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way, or out of it.”
“We can always kind of be average and do what’s normal. I’m not in this to do what’s normal.”
“Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.”
