So over the last few weeks, thousands if not millions of people across the globe were captivated to their screens over a period of 5 weeks to watch in what many are calling perhaps one of the greatest sports documentaries.

“The Last Dance,” is a 10-part documentary series from ESPN and Netflix about Michael Jordan’s career and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Each episode provides unprecedented access into the 1997-1998 season, titled by then-coach of the Bulls Phil Jackson as “The Last Dance.”

Those of you who know me, know that one of my passions in life is still and will probably be for as along as I have breath left in me, basketball, which is why like other sports fans around the world, I have been keenly watching the documentary.

But I have not been watching it from a sports perspective this time around, I have been looking for other key individual and team leadership nuggets that perhaps we all can learn from and therefore improve ourselves.

Here are the some key lessons that mostly caught my attention and I hope will also resonate with you.

You can be a LEADER even when you are a FOLLOWER

You don’t need to be in positional leadership to start acting like the change you want to see. From the onset as a rookie, MJ decided what kind of leader he was going to be and what kind of impact he wanted to bring to the team and the city of Chicago. You see, MJ earned his leadership without it being handed over to him through sheer grit, persistence, hard-work and consistency. He did not wait for people to make him the leader, he grabbed the opportunity when it presented itself.

Have you been hesitant about trying to get that sit on the table? What are you are going to do about it? Infact, what are you waiting for?

Where there is a WILL, there will always be a WAY

One of the most amazing revelations in the story was that MJ was cut from his high school varsity team. MJ used all that disappointment and failure as a reason to push himself to practice more. He understood that through dedication and hardwork, his basic abilities could be developed. MJ created a competitive advantage by always finding ways to turn negative experiences, set backs, disappointments into positions of winning and most importantly improving from where he left off yesterday.

Have you found that one thing that will motivate you and push you to the next level?

I love this quote from Jordan, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.“ – MJ

Always lead by EXAMPLE not just your WORDS

I know so many people would not tolerate Jordan’s leadership style, in fact some of his teammates thought of it as bullying, I however see it as MJ trying to set high standards and expectations not only for his teammates and coaching staff BUT for himself. Whilst this style brings the best out of some, it’s definitely negative for others. However, in MJ’s own words, “I never asked any of my teammates to do anything that I didn’t do myself”. Now that’s a mindset of a true leader and a hungry winner. Winning requires setting yourself and others standards – MJ went on to win 6 final MVP’s in a row!

Even BATMAN needs a ROBIN in most situations

As great as MJ was, he truly understood one thing,which is that he cannot win by himself. Scottie Pippen is perhaps the greatest support player in the history of the NBA, there’s never been anyone quite like him. In fact, MJ considers him as his best teammate of all-time. “I would never be able to find a tandem, another support-system, another partner in the game of basketball like Scottie Pippen. He was incredible to play with, He helped me so much in how I approached the game, how I played the game“.

As a leader, have you considered finding “your partner in crime”, your trusted advisor?

All I do is WIN, WIN, WIN …

You should always try to win at any level in life, this was always MJ’s mindset whether he was on or off the court, in fact, it started way earlier when he would compete with his big brother Larry. To him, winning has always been a fundamental aspect of life and he has carried that with him even today in his several businesses. That determination to win can help you move closer to being your best version in everything you do.

The key question here is, are you WINNING TODAY? If not, what’s stopping you?

For those of you who are yet to watch the documentary , I highly recommend it. It’s on Netflix, all 10 episodes and I am hoping you’d comment below with many of the other lessons I haven’t mentioned here.