Phil Jackson Led With HUMANITY

In the middle of the Bull’s 1990 playoff run against the 76ers, Scottie Pippen’s father died.  

Scottie was in a solemn state leading into the upcoming playoff game. When the team arrived at the practice facility to warm up for the game, Phil Jackson, (Bull’s head coach) asked the entire Bulls team to form a circle around Scottie. Once, all eleven players and Phil encircled Scottie, they recited the Lord’s Prayer.  

Jackson exclaimed after the prayer:  

“We may not be Scottie’s family but we’re as close to him as anyone in his life. This is a critical time for him. We should tell him how much we love him and show compassion for his loss.” 

That is HUMANITY.

Jackson could have ignored the loss and kept the team “focused” on the playoff series. 

Jackson was keeping humanity at the forefront of his team. He was BUILDING BELONGING through this act of compassion. Jackson was tapping into what all of us really want on a team in the business world or in sports: BELONGING.  

The Bulls wound up losing to the Pistons during the next round of the 1990 playoffs, but the seeds of BELONGING were firmly planted for the Bulls to grow into a championship caliber team. The next year the Bulls won their first ever championship.  

 In Phil’s own words:  

“Most leaders tend to view teamwork as a social engineering problem: take x group, add y motivational technique and get z result. Creating a successful team…is essentially a spiritual act. It requires the individuals…to surrender their self-interest for the greater good.” 

Building organizations to last requires more than engineering. It requires leaders to put HUMANITY at the forefront.  

Jackson was a master of tapping into the essence of humanity. Jackson did not compromise the larger game at play. Jackson knew that above all building the team's trust would lead to something special. It turned into a dynasty. 

 Onward, 

Matt