Four things Kobe teaches us on how to have a successful career

The famous NBA star Kobe Bryant finished his career perfectly in typical Hollywood style in Los Angeles, with an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, two NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, five NBA championships, eighteen times an all-star… Kobe Bryant has set numerous admirable and amazing records during his career and in the history of basketball. Success is no coincidence though. Kobe’s career has come to an end. What can the rest of us who are continuing with our careers learn from him?

1. Work hard

Once when asked by a reporter about the secret of his success, Kobe asked the reporter, “Do you know what Los Angeles looks like at 4 o’clock in the morning? It is still in the dark at 4 o’clock, but I had already gotten up by then and was walking in the dark streets. The days passed and the darkness did not disappear. More than 10 years passed and the darkness in the streets of Los Angeles was still there at 4AM, but I had become a basketball player with strong muscles, excellent physical fitness, strength and a high field goal percentage.” American trainer Alert also wrote about Kobe’s work ethics in his book where he recorded a story that Kobe invited him to provide extra training early in the morning when preparing for the London 2012 Olympic Games. When Kobe first entered the NBA, he was not among the most outstanding players; nevertheless he has been making progress and finally become a brilliant player, which is inseparable from Kobe’s unremitting efforts and learning. Similarly, a hard-working employee of a company is sure to win himself/herself internal and external recognition.

2. Loyalty

From joining the NBA in 1996 to retirement, Kobe has played for the same team. He played with O’Neal, another famous NBA star, and won three consecutive championships. After that, his team, the Lakers, entered its low period of several years. Kobe, who had been winning, chose to stay with the Lakers. He kept improving his skills and led the team forward. After another powerful player joined the team, Kobe won the second consecutive championship in his basketball career. Just like a commercial basketball team, a company or an industry has its ups and downs. Perseverance and loyalty will win you respect and bring you chance to reach another high point.

3. Platform

Apart from his own reasons, some external factors also contributed to Kobe’s success in his career. Upon joining the NBA, Kobe was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As known to all, Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the USA and even of the world and it surpasses most of the cities of other NBA teams in terms of global media influence and the level of urban development. Before taking in Kobe, the Lakers had already developed many famous NBA stars and won several NBA championships. Such a good platform undoubtedly generated more external attention and resources for growth for Kobe. For an employee, an excellent platform that is stable, attaches more importance to the development of talent and grows rapidly is undoubtedly more suitable to accelerate an employee’s career advancement.

4. Teammates

Another external reason for Kobe’s successful career are his outstanding teammates. In the early stage of his career, Kobe played with O’Neal, one of the top centers in NBA history. O’Neal’s dominant power on the court combined with Kobe’s outstanding performance helped the Lakers win three consecutive championships. After O’Neal’s retirement, in the late stage of his career, Kobe cooperated with the excellent European center Gasol and won two more consecutive championships. There are many players in the NBA who have outstanding personal abilities but who have no teammates support and cannot win the O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy. It can be said that Kobe’s outstanding teammates have contributed greatly to him winning NBA championships. In our career, outstanding teammates not only can elevate our spirits, but also drive the team and even the whole company to new heights.