So you want to be captain ...
“You can’t be captain if nobody follows you.”
The first year Phil Jackson coached the Los Angeles Lakers, team chemistry was lacking. In Jackson's mind, and in the team's mind as well, burgeoning super star Kobe Bryant was too selfish. Jackson sat down to talk with the 21-year-old Kobe.
"Now I know why the guys don't like playing with you. You've got to play together." I also indicated to him that if he didn't want to share the ball with his teammates, I would gladly work out a trade for him ... I also talked to Kobe about what it takes to be a leader. At one point I told him, "I guess you'd like to be captain of this team someday when you're older--maybe like twenty-five." He replied that he wanted to be captain tomorrow. To which I said, "You can't be captain if nobody follows you." (Eleven Rings, p. 218-219)
People were not following Kobe because he was not yet a leader worth following.
Jackson wanted to change that. He knew that leadership grows with a commitment to team play and personal self-sacrifice.
That's good food for thought, so here's a question to ponder: "How's your service, captain?"
“The greatest among you shall be your servant.”