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I was at the sixth game of the Bulls/Pistons series in Chicago’s United Center. I’ll never forget Michael Jordan’s performance at the game’s end. In the Bulls last eight possessions of the game, he scored on seven of them and had an assist on one.

The intensity in the arena was incredible. The Pistons were the reigning NBA champions and the Bulls just could not beat them. So, Jordan’s performance sent the series to a seventh game in Detroit.

All of Chicago was excited about this seventh game only to have Scottie Pippen get a migraine headache and not be able to play.

In the first game of this year’s Spurs/Heat finals, LeBron James could not play the last seven minutes of the game due to severe cramping.

Both Pippen and James were the recipients of extensive criticism. They simply weren’t tough enough to compete during the most important part of the season.

I have two questions for the critics. Have you ever had a migraine? Has your body ever shut down due to cramping? If you have experienced either of these, you know there is no way you can possibly play with either condition. Just like Pippen and James, leaders will be criticized and often harshly. And just like James and Pippen, leaders have to pay no attention to people who have no idea what they are talking about.

In the last analysis, leaders must get all the data they can, consult with people they trust, see the big picture, and make the best decisions they can. And then adhere to what Sister Margaret Duffy, the late registrar at the University of St. Francis, used to say, “Period. Amen!”

John Wayne made the movie but my dear friend, Dr. Gene Curran, lived it.

“The quiet man who spoke so loudly.” This was the refrain used by the homilist for Gene during his eulogy. Gene never spoke about all he did for others; he just did it and did it regularly.

He was a local podiatrist who treated thousands of patients in his lifetime…and often forgot, intentionally, to bill them.

It was said of Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs during this year’s NBA Finals that he is the quietest player in the entire League. Was that one of the reasons why his teammates – great players like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili – were so happy for him when he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals?

He had little to say, but he sure let his actions speak for himself during the Finals.

Will Rogers, in his own inimitable way, saw this topic from another perspective, “Never miss a good chance to shut-up.”

When I reflect on my father, he had little to say. However when he did talk, it was like that old advertisement for E.F. Hutton. Everyone adhered to that Will Rogers adage and listened. For years, Dad volunteered for the St. Vincent DePaul Society gathering items for the poor in the community. He did it, but I never heard him talk about it.

When all is said and done, a leader, because of his position, does have the opportunity to help others. Albert Einstein had this figured out when he wrote, “I can see no other reason why we are here but to help others.” And I believe we admire people who do it, but don’t advertise it.

“The quiet man who spoke so loudly.” Not a bad mantra for a leader?

Perhaps the most relevant word to describe the Spurs winning the 2014 NBA championship is “humility.”

John Wooden used to say, “Give all the credit away.” You are the leader. Everyone knows you are the leader. The endeavor was successful. Why do you need the credit? I think humility and credit go hand-in-hand.

When the Spurs owner, Peter Holt, a man ranked as the “ultimate boss” among all sports owners in 2012, was interviewed immediately after the game, he was asked by ESPN’s Stuart Scott how HE did it. Specifically, he was asked “what’s your secret?”

He quickly gave his answer: “My secret is these guys behind me and Coach Pop… It doesn’t start at the top, it starts with them.”

Humility at the top can spread through an entire organization.

It was also interesting to watch Coach Gregg Popovich during the on-the-court post-game interviews. He stayed behind the team and was not interviewed. His actions spoke volumes. Give the credit to the players.

Sean Elliot, who played for the Spurs and Popovich, was asked why the Spurs have been among the top NBA teams for the past two decades. He said it all started with David Robinson and continued with Tim Duncan. The two Spurs superstars were, and are, humble. They set the team tone by wanting to be coached. When the superstars allow themselves to be coached, the rest of the team automatically follows suit.

Something for leaders to consider….Humility at the top can permeate through an entire organization and humility is best seen when all the credit is given away.

Ken Babcock wrote, “You can tell the value of a man by the way he treats someone who can do nothing for him.”

This quote made me think of the San Antonio Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich.

When the Nike Basketball Clinics would come to Chicago, our team at the University of St. Francis would demonstrate for the coaches who spoke. It was a nice opportunity for our players to meet and work with coaches whom they saw on television and it was a great opportunity for me and my coaching staff to learn.

One year the Nike people decided to have an NBA only clinic. The only speakers were NBA coaches. I had never seen a clinic like this in my forty-four years of coaching basketball.

Demonstrating for ten different coaches covering many different phases of the game is not an easy job. Our players had to be very attentive for long hours and had to quickly adapt to the teaching and terminology of each coach.

Our guys finished their work on Friday night at 10 p.m. We had to be back in the gym Saturday morning for a 7:30 a.m. lecture and work with the coaches until 10 p.m. that night.

The last speaker Saturday night was Gregg Popovich. None of us had ever met him until that evening. During his presentation our center, Arvydas Astrauskas, turned his ankle badly, an unfortunate accident.

A month after the clinic, out of nowhere, I received a call from Coach Popovich. He asked for Arvydas’ telephone number so he could call him to see how he was doing. His call did surprise Arvydas! He then said he would like to provide tickets for us when the Spurs came to play the Bulls. After the game, he came up and shook hands with each of our players.

This was a real-life reflection of the Babcock quote. We could do absolutely nothing for Coach Popovich. Nothing!

Might this be a good lesson for all leaders to consider?

I heard a commercial recently where the company said, “Failure is an option.” As soon as I heard it, I knew I liked it.

Michael Jordan used to say, “I succeed because I have failed.” Because he wasn’t afraid to fail, he wanted the ball in his hands at the end of the game. He was fearless because he was not afraid to fail.

John Wooden’s college coach at Purdue, Piggy Lambert, used to teach that the team that makes the most mistakes wins, a statement that would make most of today’s basketball coaches cringe. But his point was that if you’re playing aggressive and attacking basketball, you’re going to make mistakes and that’s okay. Don’t let the mistakes get you down. Just keep on attacking.

Often we learn more from failure than success.

I once played for a coach who constantly criticized me and my teammates. His continuous yelling could sometimes take away from your aggressiveness because you knew if you failed you would never hear the end of it. I learned a great deal from that coach on how I did not want to coach. It turned out to be a great learning experience.

I disagree with some of today’s educators who are so much into student’s self-esteem that they strive to take failure out of the students’ lives. I think they are cheating the kids. Like all of us, their students will meet with failure in their lives, both personal and professional. Instead of eliminating failure would it not be much more beneficial to teach kids how to deal with it? Learn from it, put it behind you, and move on.

Failure is an option. It is prevalent in business, in athletics, and in every phase of our lives. So, let’s not fear it but learn from it, and continue to aggressively strive for excellence.

“Our greatest power is the freedom to choose our response.”

This is a quote from Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning and a survivor of the Holocaust.

Viktor Frankl

When I think of the response of leaders to situations, I believe two totally opposite responses can be appropriate.

A very successful businessman once told me that when he was angry at another person, he would write a letter telling that person exactly how he felt, leaving no stone unturned. He would then tear the letter up, wait a day, and rewrite it. By waiting a full day, his anger would usually dissipate and he could write a more humane, rational reply. There is certainly a great deal of wisdom in this approach, especially when responding to a criticism that comes to you in writing.

On the other side of the coin, I once read an article written by the late Bill Walsh, former NFL coach, titled “Two Cheers for Pissed Off.” Being of Irish descent and having coached for forty-four years, I liked this article!

I think there is merit to this response, with three disclaimers:

• Your anger must be genuine. I have worked with some leaders who feigned anger. I don’t think that ever works. If you’re mad, be mad!
• I think being passionate about your beliefs is perfectly okay. If someone is attacking something you strongly believe in, and are doing it in an abusive way, why not let them know in no uncertain terms how you feel?
• Finally, it is always best to have your anger directed at the issue, not the person. I felt this was especially critical in coaching. The coach can get after what was done wrongly, not who did it.

Our meetings in athletics at the university where I worked for thirty-four years were often very spirited. People were passionate about their beliefs and said how they felt. But it was about the issue, not the person. The talk was candid and sometimes rough but we left the meetings as the friends we were.

I definitely believe open, truthful discussion is always best. Leaders can choose their response and both containing your anger and letting it show can be appropriate. The key is the issue, not the person.