[jpwright]

I'd add that lessons from sports leadership don't always apply in other contexts. Sports at the highest levels require extreme competitiveness and aggression. A Jordan-style asshole leader might succeed by motivating the development of those traits in their teammates, but those same traits are probably toxic and unhelpful in other environments.

[jrumbut]

Yeah, also to be an effective leader in that mold you should start by being a generational talent like Michael Jordan.

When all those Steve Jobs biographies came out there was a population who thought if they just became really picky about design and impulsive about personnel decisions their business would become another Apple.

Just being a jerk isn't really a strategy, even in sports.

[GVIrish]

This is always my answer to people trying to justify being an asshole by comparing themselves to Steve Jobs or Michael Jordan. If you are as talented as them, maybe you can make that argument. But if you are not literally the best in the world at something and/or arguably the best of all time at something, you can't use their examples.

An NBA bench player can't behave like Michael Jordan and expect to stay in the league, even though an NBA bench player is probably one of the best 400 basketball players in the world.

Even then, I would argue that guys like Jordan and Jobs succeeded in spite of being assholes, not necessarily because of it.

[jariel]

"also to be an effective leader in that mold you should start by being a generational talent like Michael Jordan."

This is such a good point.

It's so hard for most people to contextualize this.

Pro Sports athletes are basically 'life dedicated' to something, these are deeply competitive people in general. And then take the top 0.1% of those, put him with people that actually can be pushed to the top.

Jordan was no the branch manager of your local bank selling mortgages, who could not get away with such tactics.

[jmcqk6]

I think we're seeing quite a few top level athletes who demonstrate extreme competitiveness and aggression, but are able to compartmentalize it very well between "on the field" and "off the field."

I think Patrick Mahomes is an exemplar of this - he is very aggresive and high performing, but when things don't work out, he's immediately able to switch into the mode where he can congratulate the person that beat him and then again turn around and start kicking ass.

Basically, high performance in sports does not require you to be an asshole, and we're seeing more and more examples of that.

[jimbokun]

I was very impressed with the mental fortitude of Mahomes overcoming the 24 point deficit against the Texans.

His body language betrayed no frustration or negativity, the very opposite of the asshole management mentality.

[jimbokun]

> Sports at the highest levels require extreme competitiveness and aggression.

You can also be an all time great like Magic Johnson, who smiled constantly and seemed to love everyone and never show any frustration.

(I'm sure he had his moments, but everyone seems to love Magic and haven't heard about former team mates holding a grudge against him.)