What Giannis Antetokounmpo taught me about leadership
Two things that I never thought would happen:
I'd move back to my hometown Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Bucks would win the NBA Championship
This past year, against all odds, both of these things came true. And last Tuesday, after The Bucks won Game 6 where Giannis scored a record-high of 50 points, the energy in Milwaukee was palpable. It felt good to be back to our Midwestern roots.
By watching The Bucks through the years, and in particular this season, one thing became very evident: Giannis Antetokounmpo is a servant leader that we can all learn from.
Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term and defines a servant leader as someone who focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. They share power, put the needs of others first, and help people develop and perform as highly as possible.
How he served his family
Right after Giannis won the championship, he found a corner of the stadium, took a seat and was brought to tears. When asked what was going through his mind,
"The whole journey," he said. "In order for me to be in this position, how much my parents sacrificed. I saw that every day."
As Nigerian immigrants living in Greece, his parents did whatever they could to put food on the table. When they were growing up, Giannis saw how much his parents struggled and wanted to find ways to serve the family. That's how he ultimately started playing basketball — as a way to potentially get them out of their daily challenges with poverty. There were days when he didn’t have enough food and he still went to basketball practice on an empty stomach. Oftentimes, he slept at the gym, to make it in time for the two-a-day practices.
He was the lottery ticket for Milwaukee when they drafted him in 2013 – a skinny, tall, 18-year-old from Greece with raw talent. No one knew if he would actually grow into the two-time MVP that he is today. Now, whenever he talks about his journey, he says that he owes it to his mom, his dad, his brothers, and his partner.
How he served his team
Over the past 8 years, even as the best player on the team, his work ethic is unparalleled. After games, he would go back and practice for hours. Like his teammate, Pat Connaughton noted,
"He works as if he's a second-round role player, but his talent is that of an MVP."
He served his team by being a bar-raiser helping build the team culture of working hard together. He also did it in a way that was human first – by building relationships and friendships with everyone on the team and inspiring them to work harder.
How he served his city
One of the most profound moments after Giannis won Game 6 was when he said "we did it, we're champions, my city is a champion". This was an indication of how loyal he is and how he serves his city. In December 2020, he signed a 5-year supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, knowing that he could have transferred to a more prominent team that's won a championship title before. This was going to be the hard way, but he stayed resilient. As he said, "there was a job that had to be finished" and last week he saw it through and then some.
Giannis is the ultimate servant leader, existing to serve his family, his team, his city, his country. And doing so all while being himself - a humble, bright-eyed, silly, down-to-earth person.
This interview really sums it all up. So much wisdom.
When you focus on your past, that's ego.
When you focus on your future, that's pride.
I try to focus on the present, that's humility.
Servant leadership is just one style of leadership that we talk about at The Grand. And we acknowledge that with all leadership styles, there are pros and cons:
The pro is that servant leadership helps create happier, more effective, and productive teams by making sure everyone on the team is looked after.
The con is that as a servant leader, it’s challenging to constantly put your needs on the back burner; you need to focus on self-care too.
Come explore yourself and your leadership style with The Grand.
And feel free to drop me a line and tell me about the leaders you admire.
💌
Anita