Michael Jordan Research Paper

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“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan, Former Chicago Bulls NBA Superstar The quote above has had an unbelievable influence on my life. Since I am from Chicago and grew up a big sports fan, Michael Jordan is somebody that I became familiar with pretty quickly. The six-time NBA champion took the 1990’s Bulls’ on a ride that the city would never forget. That is why when I first heard this quote from Jordan I was appalled. When you think about Michael Jordan, you don’t think about his missed shots or the times he lost the game for…show more content…
However, Jordan thinks about his failures and how he has transformed in order to succeed. To me, that is something that a great leader must possess. If you want to successfully lead a team of followers to a desired result, you must first understand yourself and what drives you. I think Michael Jordan figured this out, judging by the six gleaming championship rings he owns. Leadership is much more than being an authoritative figure for a group or team of members. A successful leader needs to have a combination of great self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and relationship-management skills. Throughout this semester, I have been leading a team of followers to improve their golf game. I found this challenge to be meaningful to both my followers and myself. In the business world, golf can be much more than a game. Golf is commonly used as a networking strategy, entertaining customers or clients in a less-intense environment. During a round of golf, one can…show more content…
An effective and successful leader must have strong emotional intelligence in order to lead their team to a desired goal or result. American psychologist, Daniel Goleman, believes there are five main elements of emotional intelligence: Self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Throughout this challenge, I used my strong emotional intelligence to effectively lead my team. In times of frustration or anger, I had to be a calm voice of reason. I remember one time specifically during these nine weeks when I used Goleman’s element of empathy to help lead a team member. We had just arrived at the driving range to work on hitting the driver one day when I noticed Rory walking with his head down as if something was really bothering him. Aside from the other two members, I approached Rory and asked if there was anything on his mind he wanted to talk about. I quickly found out why he was so upset, as he confided in me the trouble he had been having in a class of his. I showed Rory empathy and he seemed very appreciative for it, even changing his mood for the better for the rest of that day. That is how I knew that strong emotional intelligence falls hand in hand with strong

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