🏀 Michael Jordan Never Had To Be Told To "Play Harder"

When I hear a coach scream from the sideline during a game “play harder,” I cringe. I’m sure the same happens when a person in a leadership position tells the staff, “we have to work harder.” We all know playing or working hard is required for any successful job performance. If a job applicant proclaims to you, he or she will work hard if they get the job, smile, and say, we all work hard. Working hard is required like a hammer is required for any carpenter. Working hard is not a benefit, or add on; it’s part of the job.

Do you think at any point during Michael Jordan’s career, a coach had to tell him to play harder? Or Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant or any other highly competitive players? Of course not, because great players are competitive, they understand hard work, playing with maximum effort is in their DNA. Once I asked former Bulls forward Scottie Pippen if he ever got tired and his response: “Tired of what?” The thought of being physically tired never entered his mind.

The reason some workers/players don’t demonstrate a level of high intensity is that they are not passionate about what they do, or they don’t care about their overall performance. And we all know getting someone to care is impossible. Just because people have talent does not mean they will care, it means they might fool you into thinking they care—and when the game is on the line, they fall well short. Yelling at them is a waste of time.

Over the years in player evaluation through psychological profiling, I’ve learned, that you can change work habits, but never can you change the competitive fiber. A harder worker that never competes can be fooling. During practice time and away from the game, the player does everything needed to help the team. Once the game starts, it’s over, the urge to compete, to play hard, to rise to the challenge goes away. All week, we count on this player because of his/her preparation, and once the live-action begins, we scream for them to “play harder” — it won’t work.

Instead of yelling “play harder” consider the person might lack competitive fiber and no matter how loud you scream, it won’t matter, and it might be time to make a change. Learn to not fall in love with the great practice player, who lets you down in the game. Don’t always fall for the hard worker, fall for the competitive person, who might not work hard right now, but eventually well. And then you will never scream, “play harder.”

You should never have to talk to a player or employee about working harder—only working smarter.

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