leadership

Giannis Antentokoumpo's Steps to Success: Growth Mindset at the Highest Level of Competition

Summary

Giannis Antentokoumpo's thoughtful answer to his surprise exit from the 2023 playoffs paints the picture of a growth mindset in an elite athlete.

After a surprising first-round exit in the 2023 NBA playoffs, basketball icon Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked whether he viewed the season as a failure. His insightful answer offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to develop a growth mindset, especially in a high-performance and competitive atmosphere.

Giannis emphasized that there are always steps to success, and that setbacks should not be viewed as failures. He stated, "It's not a failure. It's steps to success." This mentality echoes the concept of a growth mindset, which is the belief that one's abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. By embracing a growth mindset, individuals can more effectively learn from their experiences and progress toward their goals.

We're constantly faced with challenges and an ever-changing competitive landscape in our respective industries. Similar to the world of sports, we must continue to grow and adapt to remain competitive. By adopting Giannis' outlook on success and failure, you can more easily navigate setbacks and become more resilient in your career.

Giannis also highlighted the importance of understanding that success is not always immediate, but rather an ongoing process. He used Michael Jordan's career as an example, stating:

"Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years was a failure?"

By acknowledging that some days are better than others, you can better handle the inevitable ups and downs you'll face in your career.

This mentality is particularly important in high-performance environments, where expectations are high and there may be a constant pressure to succeed. It's important to see setbacks not as failures but as opportunities to learn and grow, just as Giannis framed his team's playoff exit: "There's no failure in sports. There's good days, bad days. Some days, some days you are able to be successful. Some days you're not."

Ultimately, the core message from Giannis' response is that success is a journey made up of many steps. Each year in a career is an opportunity to learn, grow, and make progress towards a larger goal. As Giannis put it:

"You work towards a goal. It's not a failure. It's steps to success."

By embracing this perspective, mid-career tech professionals can develop a growth mindset that will enable them to thrive in a high-performance and competitive atmosphere.

Giannis' response to his team's playoff loss offers valuable lessons for mid-career tech professionals looking to develop a growth mindset. By reframing setbacks as opportunities for growth and recognizing that success is a journey, they can better navigate the challenges of a high-performance and competitive environment.

Giannis' Failure Quote Transcript

Reporter: I'm curious for you, do you view this season as a failure?

Giannis: Do you get, do you get the promotion every year on your job? No. Right. So every year you work is a failure, yes or no? No. Every, every year you work, you work towards something.

Two years ago, Right, which is to get a promotion, to be able to take care of your family, to be able, I dunno provide the house for them or take care of your parents. You work towards a goal. It's not a failure. It's steps to success, you know? And if you've never, I don't know, I don't want to, I don't wanna make it personal.

So there's always steps to it, you know? Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championship. The other nine years was a failure. That's what you're telling me. I'm asking you a question, yes or no? Yeah, I mean, I don't think so. No. Okay. Exactly. So why you asking me a question? It's a wrong question.

There's no failure in sports. You know, there's good days, bad days. Some days, some days you are able to be successful. Some days you're not. Some days it's your turn. Some days it's not your turn, and that's what sport's about. You don't always win. Some other other people's gonna win, and this year somebody else gonna win.

Similar as that. We're gonna come back next year, try to be better, try to build good habits. Try to play better, not have a 10 day stretch with playing bad basketball, you know? And hopefully we can win a championship. So 50 years from 1971 in 2021 that we didn't win a championship. It was 50 years of failures.

No, it was not, it was steps to it, you know, and we, we were able to win one. Hopefully we give win another one.