I Want To Be Like Steve

Today was game 4 of the first round NBA playoffs match-up between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. Steve Nash, whom many expect to win his 3rd consecutive MVP award in a few weeks, turned in a stellar performance, registering 23 assists to go along with 17 points in the Suns victory.

I've been a fan of Steve Nash since he was playing with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, and I love watching his games in Phoenix every chance I get. Watching Nash in the playoffs, you get a sense that you are watching history, and I relish it in the same way I did watching Michael Jordan hit a jumper from the top of the key after faking out his opponent.

To put Steve Nash's performance in perspective, his 23 assists missed a playoff record by only 1; plus, that's more than double the average assists per game for the greatest of all players in history of the league (Nash already claimed the assists title for the season with over 11 assists per game).

What is said about Nash was also said about Magic Johnson - he makes everyone around him better. It occurred to me that the same ought to be said about the great managers in the business world - they should make everyone around them better.

Too often, my tendency is to try to do too much myself. In today's playoff game, Steve Nash would have had to score 49 points on top of his 17 for the game if he were to replace all those assists. Instead, he took control of the game by passing the ball to the right player at the right time to score, and as a result, his team is one win away from eliminating the Lakers from the playoffs and advancing to the second round.

When Michael Jordan was in his prime, the ad campaigns used to say, "I want to be like Mike". When I go to work in the morning, I want to be like Steve. Give me 23 assists with my team, and we'll nail our quarterly objectives every time. That's what being a great manager is all about.

Light it up...

Rob