Plan Ahead
Do you ever stop and think about where you want to be in the next five years?
Are you taking little steps towards that vision today?
Most people don't. Including NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard.
After winning a championship last year, he decided to move back home to Los Angeles and build a championship team.
He picked up the phone and called multiple superstars like Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, and Paul George to see if they would join him.
Kevin Durant was surprised by the call — he had never really spoken to Kawhi. Plus, he had already committed to joining Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn.
Kawhi ultimately convinced Paul George to join him, but his haphazard recruitment efforts didn't pay off. He, along with the Los Angeles Clippers, were eliminated from the playoffs last week.
Now let's look at another superstar who also wanted to build a championship team in L.A. Lebron James.
He started courting co-star Anthony Davis years in advance. The same thing happened when Lebron built a championship team in Miami. His relationship with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade was already years in the making. They had played on Team USA together — they had a relationship off-the-court. Kawhi never bothered with the Olympics and was more of a lone-wolf.
This reminds me of someone who called me out of the blue recently. I had worked with him previously, but it was 5+ years since we had spoken. He called me a day before his interview and asked me if I would put in a good word for him at the company he was applying to. This caught me off-guard.
What can we learn from this?
The best time to build relationships with people who can help you is years in advance.
You come across as desperate if you wait until the last minute to do this. It also means you will have to settle for mediocre results. If Kawhi Leonard had invested the time in building relationships with other superstars before his big move, he might've been able to convince a true superstar to join him in L.A.
You make people feel like they’re a means to an end. Not only will they feel slighted, but you squash any hopes of developing a meaningful relationship with them in the future.
Plan ahead for a big payoff, or get ousted in the playoffs!
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Bardia