Five Important Lessons on Leadership from “The Last Dance”
With the conclusion of “The Last Dance,” ESPN and Netflix’s 10-part documentary revolving NBA legend Michael Jordan’s last season in the league, we have just been treated to a rollercoaster ride as we witness the greatest basketball player of all time punctuate the 1997–1998 season — his last — with a championship. For avid basketball fans like me, feelings of nostalgia are the common theme throughout the series. But more importantly, this Jason Hehir-directed documentary gives us a lot to think about — from Jordan’s ascent to superstardom and the roadblocks he had to overcome, to the lessons on leadership and character as he led his teams to six championships in eight years.
Unpacking the 5 Leadership Lessons from “The Last Dance“
Yes, Jordan’s extensive involvement in the making of this documentary almost surely meant that other details or footage he deemed unsavory didn’t make the final cut. Hence, it’s borderline reasonable to treat this entire series as a hagiography of a legend. In fact, whereas the legacy of Jordan the player is intact, the legacy of Jordan the person (his gambling habits, politics or lack thereof, et al) is more complicated than that.
Nevertheless, from the first episode to the last, “The Last Dance” is a must-see for basketball fans with its all-access pass to the Chicago Bulls, including interviews with Jordan’s teammates, coach, and other players whom he influenced. And among the many things the series offers basketball fans, in this post we’ll zero in on the lessons on leadership from the documentary series.
1. No one will follow your lead unless you let your work do the talking
“A boss says ‘Go’ but a leader says ‘Let’s go’” is an evergreen saying when talking about lessons on leadership; and the Bulls had to experience growing pains with their rookie.
When Jordan came to the league in 1984, Bulls fans were in search for the next electrifying player whom they would love following the trade of ex-Bulls star Reggie Theus to the Kansas City Kings the previous season. And boy, not only did the Bulls fans fall in love with Jordan; the whole league did.
That said; Jordan didn’t come to the Bulls a born leader. He had to become one, and in his case he let his game talk for him. By the season’s end, Jordan was crowned Rookie of the Year, posting averages of 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists — and justifying the then-unheard-of risk Nike made by giving him a shoe deal. Despite his individual accolades, however, the Bulls posted a win-loss record of 38–44, and again failed to make the playoffs.
Jordan might have earned his stripes as an anointed savior of a moribund franchise, but he earned the right to lead the team by letting his game talk for him. In his rookie season, he gave fans a glimpse of better things to come, and he continued the next seasons with MVP-caliber performances until they won their first title in 1991.
A lead-by-example approach works to pave the way toward convincing the team to buy into the system and work collectively.
2. A true leader accepts he’s not always right and that he doesn’t know all the answers — and so asks for help from his team and mentors
In his first six seasons in the NBA, Jordan had won all the awards he could, except for one — the NBA championship. Even under his guidance, the Bulls couldn’t even win the East, with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics and Isiah Thomas and his “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons stopping Jordan on his tracks. He was the generational talent, but a title eluded him — and opposing fans let him have it. Using it as fuel (and aided by the arrival of a new coach in Phil Jackson), Jordan eventually won in 1991 against Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. And, alongside his teammate Scottie Pippen, he won five more.
But what changed? Simple.
Jordan began trusting his teammates more.
Teams are usually a collection of diverse skills and personalities, and effective leadership recognizes such diversity. And until Jordan learned to trust his teammates and understand they weren’t as gifted and skilled as he was, they never went anywhere. “The Last Dance” showed the legend’s development from an obsessive maniac who demanded more touches, to an obsessive maniac who didn’t hesitate to pass the ball and let John Paxson and Steve Kerr take the winning shots en route to the respective championships.
And when Dennis Rodman, a former rival with the Pistons, signed with the Bulls in 1996, Jordan understood that despite Rodman’s on- and off-court antics, he needed Rodman’s competitive nature and high basketball IQ to win the championship. The result? Three straight titles from 1996 to 1998.
Great leaders trust their teammates and seek counsel from their coaches, knowing that despite the challenge of maximizing the team’s potential, it’s ultimately worth it.
3. Not everyone will celebrate your accomplishments — especially from recognition-hungry suck-ups — unless they share the credit
Whereas the series was a glorification of Jordan as a player (save for a few hiccups), “The Last Dance” portrayed the late former general manager Jerry Krause in a negative light. The bad blood began early on, highlighted by Krause’s insistence that ‘anybody can be traded’, even Pippen, whom Jordan referred to as his best teammate ever.
This, even after Pippen’s climb to stardom, and even after underpaying him while the salaries of the rest of the league soared.
The final straw came in the 1997–1998 season, when Krause announced that he would not welcome Jackson back as coach even if they went 82–0 and won the championship. Sources said that Krause felt that his contributions to the dynasty were overshadowed by Jackson’s success coaching Jordan and Pippen, and thus harbored animosity toward the coach. His constant craving for validation did him in, allowing his ego to let Jackson walk. Before the season started, Jackson talked to the Bulls players saying that the season might be ‘the last dance’ for them, so he exhorted the team to play as if it were.
True enough, the Bulls won the championship, and with it the dynasty was over: Jackson was let go as coach, Jordan decided to retire, and Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets.
Jerry Krause’s obsession for more recognition on the same level as Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson ultimately became his — and the Bulls dynasty’s — downfall.
Leaders need to keep the external noise from disrupting the team chemistry — including conflicts with colleagues or other leaders who want a share of the recognition — and simply deal with it later.
4. Good leadership may bring team success (and glory to the organization), but it doesn’t transform a bad organization
When Jordan broke his foot in just his second season, he began to have distrust with the Bulls management. From the get-go, “The Last Dance” simply confirms what avid NBA fans have known for so long: The Bulls are a bad organization, and they just got lucky with the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen sweepstakes. Even recently before the league was shut down due to the Covid-19 outbreak, fans had been bemoaning owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s cheapskate ways combined with the incompetence of then-team executive Gar Forman and GM John Paxson.
In Jordan’s case, he knew what the mission was, regardless of the mediocrity of the franchise. In order to cement his legacy, he’d need to deliver a championship to Chicago, which he did six times over.
In Pippen’s case, while Reinsdorf and Krause didn’t want to re-sign him to a larger contract despite being the most underpaid player in the NBA, he continued to team up with Jordan for those six titles despite feeling underappreciated, before eventually getting traded to the Rockets in 1998.
So, yes: While Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson lived every day of the Bulls’ dysfunction, they instead channeled their energy into winning more titles for as long as they could, knowing the end was drawing near.
Leaders know there’s nothing wrong with staying with a subpar organization just as there’s nothing wrong with leaving to find better workplaces, so they instead make their tenure count.
5. A leader sets goals for himself and the team, and knows when to walk away
A few years after his second retirement, Jordan once again unretired to play for the Washington Wizards. This time, there wasn’t any dynasty in the making: Jackson was coaching Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant en route to the Lakers’ third straight championship, Pippen was starring for the Portland Trailblazers, and Rodman had since retired.
But Jordan at this point aimed to will the mediocre Wizards team to the playoffs (spoiler alert: He didn’t), while displaying his patented mentality in hopes of passing it on to his younger teammates (spoiler alert: It didn’t). While he walked away from the Bulls a champion, he unretired to try lead the Wizards to the playoffs, something the franchise had accomplished only once in 13 years. Needless to say, Jordan’s Wizards were no Jordan’s Bulls.
“The Last Dance” shows Jordan’s belief that, while their sixth title marked the end of the dynasty, he could’ve won a fourth straight title with the Bulls had the core stayed for one more year under Jackson. And while he may not admit it, his decision to play for a middling team in his twilight years was indicative of that competitive fire of thinking he could still lead another collective to the Promised Land.
And while his body betrayed his spirit, we believe him.
What happened in Chicago was inevitable: It’s just that, by then, everybody knew and felt they had already run their course. And inasmuch as it was nice to stay for one more dance, the song had already stopped — and they all had to let go.
Shared goals are keys to success, and when the employer-employee relationship stops seeing eye-to-eye, a leader understands it’s time to learn and grow elsewhere.
Lessons on Leadership: A Lifelong Masterclass of Learning and Teaching
“The Last Dance” might have ended with Michael Jordan’s last championship with the Bulls, but the legend’s impact continues to this day. Just as learned from players before him, Jordan’s career has become a major totem of how individual and team success should be measured.
But what’s more telling is this: One knows he has left a big impact when, even years from now, people would still talk about his drive and tenacity to will his team toward success. In Jordan’s case, his character development from that of a wunderkind savior to a winning trailblazer still resonates with people today; from his teammates and fierce competitors to the newer generation of basketball players.
And that’s what effective leadership is all about.
Yes, his maniacal intensity and laser focus rubbed some people the wrong way. Yes, he could be a prick to his teammates. Yes, he deeply flawed, and some of his life choices left a lot to be desired. But few would argue that he left an indelible mark in the game by etching his name in the annals of basketball immortality. And in the end, Michael Jordan showed that he was a force of a leader to be reckoned with, and “The Last Dance” is a testament to that legendary force that will never waver anytime soon.
Watch “The Last Dance” on Netflix today.
