EGO

I believe there is a good and a bad in everything…it is up to us to choose our path when presented with any choice in life. I want to share my thoughts on a recent documentary about the Redeem Team.…for those that don’t know, the “Redeem Team” was a nickname the team had as a play on the legendary 1992 squad we all know and remember as the “Dream Team”! The Dream Team shocked the basketball world in the 2004 Athens Olympic games after being shut down by Argentina, ultimately losing its perception of being invincible.

Those athletes were made up by an “A Team” championship lineup…professional NBA All-Stars, who are rarely thought of as being second best…or in their case third for taking bronze. Athletes like them are high performers their entire life, practicing fiercely to remain experts in execution of their craft, never scared of an opponent, never worried about not getting game time or not being successful, and never worried about someone else coming along and taking their spot. Because they work their butts off to hold onto their spot. The ego got fed constantly because of their success. Everybody, especially them, just expected to win based off their individual talent and collective performance time and time again. The most important takeaway from that infamous event was that their egos realized their loss was due to the lack of one major component that bad egos don’t SEE. Being a team…while building and keeping camaraderie.

Fast forward to 2008 and enter the Redeem Team. Coach K was infamous for his speeches and loved to hold people accountable and I’ll never forget his impactful words. He knew his players, and instead of asking them to check their egos at the door, he asked the team to BRING them and to plant them under one ego “umbrella”. He wanted to craft the team around their unique abilities. He reminded them that it doesn’t matter which individual was playing…the most important part was that they were to play AS A TEAM and that they respected one another. No truer words spoken.

I may not be the biggest fan of egos in any sense, but I appreciate and value what Coach K was trying to develop. I invite anyone to come out and visit us at Hall Financial…when you arrive, you will see a wall mural that reflects the word CODE which stands for Camaraderie, Optimism, Drive, and Evolution. We, too, work tirelessly to remain the leaders and experts in our craft and our care we provide. It is so important to me that we stick to these core values written on our walls because it’s the foundation upon which we’re built here. No matter which individual is playing on our team, there’s one non-negotiable – you must live by the CODE.

Have a great and productive day!