5.1 NBA GM: Be Humble and Hungry

“We need athletes and teammates with humble, hungry mindsets.” - NBA GM

I once heard an NBA GM say, “We need athletes and teammates with humble, hungry mindsets, not entitled, arrogant mindsets.” He said humility and hunger come from knowing how special an opportunity is and being grateful for it, and entitlement and arrogance come from thinking you are owed something.

Your mindset is your attitude, how you think or feel about someone or something.

The GM said being in the NBA is a privilege that you earn, and the people who see it as such are willing to do more to keep and maximize their opportunity.

When you are humble, you don’t think more of yourself than you should, and when you are hungry, you will do whatever it takes to be successful. It is easy to become entitled or arrogant or feel like you are owed something, especially working in the NBA, because of the praise and opportunities you get from it, but this mindset can keep you from helping the team maximize its potential.

Humble and hungry teammates are more coachable, lead and respond to adversity with positivity, and are more likely to grind to get things done.

They don’t expect opportunities or promotions just for showing up or because of the work they have done in the past, but they work hard to earn everything that comes to them, knowing each situation is new and an opportunity to prove themselves.

Success earned feels better than success given, so be humble and hungry in your pursuit of excellence - they can be the ultimate difference-maker for you.

Question of the Day: How can you stay humble and hungry and avoid arrogance and entitlement?