Michael Jordan’s Honest Take On His Tough Leadership: “Winning Has A Price… I Wanted To Make Sure They Were Prepared For The Worst.”

Michael Jordan is a legend of professional basketball. He has won six NBA championships, five as player and one as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Now he shares his thoughts on how he’s taken over North Carolina State University in Raleigh to create “the best environment in college sports.”

Michael Jordan has been a controversial figure in the basketball world and his leadership style has been scrutinized. In an interview, he had this to say about his tough leadership: “Winning Has A Price… I Wanted To Make Sure They Were Prepared For The Worst.”. Read more in detail here: what does Michael Jordan own.

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After everything that he accomplished with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, Michael Jordan is largely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. His Airness had to put in a lot of effort to become a six-time NBA champion, and he was never afraid to give it his all on the field.

His mentality and approach toward his teammates weren’t always the greatest, as good as he was on the court. He expected the best from them since he was determined to win at any costs. This attitude drew considerable criticism, and many of those players were resentful of Michael’s treatment of them.

MJ articulated his feelings about it and why he always expected perfection from his teammates, noting that he understood what it required to win and wanted people to realize that it wasn’t a simple journey.

Jordan discussed his leadership in Luc Longley’s documentary in 2021, noting that he wanted to win and wanted to have everyone around him on the same page.

Jordan said, “My approach was to win at all costs and pull, push, yank, whatever it took to get everyone on the same page.” “I get what you mean. The truth is, if I changed my personality to something completely different, I would no longer be who I am. We wouldn’t have had the same success, I believe. In terms of perspective, I believe many players would not have seen things the same way. So, sure, I can imagine him saying that, but the issue is, I believe it was necessary in certain ways, and I believe our success proves that.”

Longley’s leadership has been described as ‘carnivorous,’ and he couldn’t help but chuckle. Jordan got serious when questioned about how the Australian big man felt about his criticism, explaining that he took that approach to get the Bulls to where they are today, and although it wasn’t popular at the time, he’s convinced his former teammates understand he did it for their success (2nd and 3rd slide).

“That’s something I’ve considered. There were a number of times when people were critical of how I went about things, but I had a purpose, and I wanted them to know what it needed to win. Winning comes at a cost… I wanted to make sure they were ready for the worst-case scenario, particularly since they were competing. I’m sure there were occasions when they were dissatisfied with my performance. I believe they are, based on what we accomplished, our success, and what we were able to overcome, if you look back today. As a leader, sometimes you’re not gonna be well-liked, but you have to pull them along because you know it, you’ve experienced it, you understood that the other side of that road is success, so the gratification will be there once we’re over that hill. That was my feeling, and I could see some of it coming from my colleagues, but the problem is, someone had to do it for us to succeed…”

Many people were critical of Jordan’s methods for getting the most out of his teammates, but he never had an issue with it. He did it to help the Bulls win games and championships, which they accomplished over those years. They went on to become one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history capturing six titles in eight years with Jordan at the helm.

Some may argue that he might have taken a different method, but his initial strategy succeeded, and he went on to become the greatest player of all time. Only a few players dislike him right now, but no one can dispute that he helped them advance to the next level on the court.