How to Be a GREAT LEADER | LeBron James' Advice in 16 Minutes

To be the best, you have to work the hardest. You can't be perfect. Don't try to be perfect. It's impossible. No one is perfect. I believe I can't improve unless I want to improve. I want to be the greatest of all time, and that's just my mindset. Nothing that I receive individually is impossible without those 14 guys because of what they sacrifice each and every day. As I continue to grow, I want the guys around me to grow also. I'm LeBron James from Akron, Ohio, from the inner city. I'm not even supposed to be here. These kids have dreams. I remember me and my friends had dreams. Every time when I'm not playing, if the Lakers on TV, I'm watching them. I got so— like you said, I got so many different forms of leadership and it just comes from my personality.

He's an American professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He's won 2 NBA championship awards. And 4 Most Valuable Player awards. He's the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer. He's LeBron James, and here are his top 10 rules for success. Basketball isn't easy. All my life I've been striving to make myself better. It's a full-time commitment. To be the best, you have to work the hardest. You have to chase what seems impossible over and over and over again. Because giving up is not an option. When you feel like you've reached your limit, it's only the beginning. That's when it's time to dig deep, to find the courage to push some more. Because if you got the drive, the discipline, and the resolve to do what it takes to make yourself great, then the rewards are endless.

James! Oh, what a shot for LeBron James! Oh my, there was no way that LeBron was going to be denied. Even the Spurs fans love that.

You can't be perfect. Don't try to be perfect, um, it's impossible. No one is perfect. If you make a mistake, you have to live with it, and then you have to be able to to grow from it. You can't continue to make mistake after mistake after mistake and then think that you're going to be able to come back from that.

The steal on James, 2-on-1. Here's McGinnis with the high dribble. Oh, yes! And the foul! My goodness, you could see that one coming a mile away, Barb. If you're Damon Jones, don't you just let McGinnis have the layup?

One thing about myself, I'm real critical of myself. I believe I can't improve unless I want to improve. And ultimately, I want to become the greatest basketball player or the best player LeBron James can be. Now, if that means I've become better than Michael Jordan or better than Kobe Bryant or Oscar Robertson, then so be it. But if not, I want to maximize my potential. So the times of my rookie year where I was struggling, I found a way to get through it myself with the help of friends and you know, not having those, you know, yes-men around me because I wasn't playing with them.

7 seconds left on the 24-second clock. LeBron against the long-armed Ariza, in trouble. Oh my, from behind the backboard! What a shot! An incredible shot by LeBron James. I don't know how he even saw the basket, much less put the ball in the basket.

For me, I understand that a lot gets thrown upon my plate and a thrown upon what I do. So for me, my personal goals is to win championships. And at the end of my career, what I was able to accomplish will make me happy and make me satisfied, because I don't play for— I don't play for what people expect for me to do anymore, you know. I want to be the greatest of all time, and that's just my mindset. Wherever they lay me at the end of my career, and you know, if it's 1, 9, or 12, or whatever the case might be, Smitty. I had a great time on playing this game that I love to play.

Another scoring option and a different way to score coming off baseline screens. Oh, he does it again, throws it right up to the rim. James comes flying in from the right corner and he goes right over Lucas. It was like a stepladder.

Honestly, you guys seen me sitting, sitting in this chair and kept looking over at them is because I'd rather be sitting over there with them. I know this is an individual award, but I would much rather be sitting over there in shorts, in a t-shirt, wondering what the hell they joking about, because I want to be a part of that joke. And I hate being out of all the jokes. I want to know what was happening. Okay, guys, I would much rather be with my guys over there because that's what it's all about. Yeah, much rather be with those guys. Without those guys, this trophy is not possible. The Larry O'Brien Trophy last year is not possible. Nothing that I receive individually is impossible without those 14 guys because of what they sacrifice each and every day. You know, the sweat and the blood and the time and everything. I always know that with team success becomes individual prizes, individual accolades, but this really doesn't mean much to me. I'm humbled and I'm happy about it, but I wish it was 15 of these up here because I'm with a great group of guys that allow me to be the MVP each and every night.

Wow! LeBron James going baseline and then soaring! And that gets this crowd going. My goodness, that was unbelievable.

Our game is more mental than it is your abilities.

How do you apply that to the business world? Because that's one thing that's really big to you right now.

Um, just, I, I just use my instincts. I use my instincts. Um, one thing that I did a few years ago I decided to part ways with my agent because I believed that I couldn't grow as a man and as a businessman having an agent, you know, say, well, you know, this is what you need to do and this is how you need to do it. And I started my own company with 3 of my good friends, and it's called LRMR. We started our own marketing company. I kind of judge, you know, by my own standards.

Did your friends that you hired have experience? I mean, No, right. So seemingly not a wise business move, but there would be a reason that you would do that.

Absolutely, because as I continue to grow, I want the guys around me to grow also, you know. So when LeBron James is done playing basketball, now what do I have for my guys to fall back on? I don't want them to be like, okay, now what do we do? You know, my guys are being set up in a position now where when I'm done playing basketball, they can continue to go on and be respected walking into a business room, be respected on having their own business ventures without me being there, and I can just sit back and collect the check.

Hughes to play it in. Foul James. LeBron to the hoop for the win! He's got it! It's over! The Cavaliers have won it! You can book this one to the Cavaliers! LeBron James went baseline and got it! Got it to fall for the Cavalier win.

Listen, uh, for me, I can't worry about what everybody say about me. I'm LeBron James from Akron, Ohio, from the inner city. I'm not even supposed to be here. That's enough. Every night I walk into the locker room, I see a number 6 with James on the back. I'm blessed. So what everybody say about me off the court don't matter. I ain't got no worries.

James passing on the open shot and took it to the rim. Whoa! Yes! And the foul! This is big time. This is, this is as good as it gets right there. Pressure situation. LeBron James with a brilliant—

Let's please understand and recognize that these kids are our future. And without these kids, obviously we have no future. So let's continue to inspire. I will, I will do my part. I promise you that, parents. I will be that second parent in your household if you're a single parent mother or father. I will be that third parent in your household if you happen to have a mother and a father at the same time. But you also have to do your part as well. These kids have dreams. I remember me and my friends had dreams. I seen Brandon Weems here, Frankie Walker, Sheon Cotton, Drew Joyce, Willie McGee, Romeo Travis, and the list goes on and on and on. When we grew up, we had dreams, and the reason our dreams was able to become reality is because we had mentors and family and fathers and moms and people around us that allowed our dreams to become possible.

Barnett comes out on LeBron. Now they switch it. Here's Pierce again. A Smith screen. Posey will defend. Oh, LeBron James with no regard for human life! Power, speed, athleticism.

Do you gauge your game against Kobe. Is that your Larry Bird? No, I— it is, honestly. I look at Kobe Bryant as that guy that, um, is the best, one of the best in our league. Every time when I'm not playing, um, if the Lakers on TV, I'm watching them. I'm watching him. I'm trying to learn from him and see how he may be attacking this certain team that he's playing, because a lot of teams kind of play me the same way that they may play Kobe, with double and triple teams and, you know, making you have to facilitate to your teammates. So I definitely look at Kobe as that guy that, you know, he's that guy, he's that one.

Goes behind the back and the game is tied at 104. That's too good right there. This is unbelievable. This is Jordan-esque. Working it down, 5 seconds, 4, 3, James scores! He has scored the last 25 points for Cleveland. This has to be considered one of the great postseason performances.

It isn't— everyone's not a leader, and we shouldn't expect everyone to be a leader. I think it becomes something that you want to do, or you're born with it. And some people lead by example, some people lead by voice, some people lead by both. And for me, I felt in order for myself to be as good as I wanted to be. And at the same time, in order for our team to be as good as I wanted it to be, I had to be both. As well as we played last game, it ain't gonna be enough to win tonight. You gotta give more, dog. You gotta protect more. You gotta help more. You gotta sacrifice more in order to get this win. You have a lot of different styles. Let's throw out some of them. You like wise teacher sometimes. Tell me about that one. I am, man. I got so— like you said, I got so many different forms of leadership. And it just comes from my personality. You know, at times I can be silly.

Strike 3!

Man, these beautifuls got me looking like Iron Man. And at times I could be serious. If you know personnel, you know teammates, you throw it up to the rim. That's like you throwing that same pass to Shaq. Would you do that to Shaq? You wanna throw that pass to Shaq? At times I could be like a teacher and be like, you know, focusing in on all my students. So I go right here. So if I need to step once, at least I'm only stepping right here. At times I could be the student, you know, and to be able to have different forms of leadership has helped me because you have different personalities in the locker room. Everybody is not the same. The way I talk to D-Wade may not be the way I could talk to Chris, or the way I talk to Chris may not be the way I talk to UD or to Bird or to Rio. Big time, man. Big time. Everyone's personality is different, so my leadership skills has different phases because I understand what I'm dealing with.

I love you. I love you.

They go crazy.

Ah!

Whoever misses is out. Whoever misses is out. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Sometimes, you know, the smile in leadership, sometimes the playful LeBron, sometimes you use that as a form of leadership. Yeah, absolutely. I got that from being around my childhood friends. We used to have so much fun, man, but we understood when that ball was tipped, this is— we're gonna have the most fun here. And I just brought that with me to the NBA. When you're doing something that way and it's working and you're winning and you're not disrespecting the game, right, you— this is what you feel like is how it's supposed supposed to be done. It's given me a sense of brotherhood in this league that is hard to come by.

Mo Williams will throw it. Rashard Lewis playing off the ball. Lewis gets it to LeBron for 3 for the win. Yes! LeBron James at the buzzer! And the Cavaliers have pulled it out to tie the series! And what a miraculous Those kind of shots, that's what MVPs do. Thank you so much for watching.

We made this video for you, Devon. If there's a famous entrepreneur you'd like to profile next, leave a comment below.

We'd also love to know which of LeBron James' top 10 rules meant the most to you. Leave in the comments and we'll join the discussion. Thank you so much for watching.

Continue to believe. and we'll see you soon. Well, my expectations is always going to be high, um, just because how I feel as an individual. I feel like I continue to get better every year. I continue to bust my butt in offseason to get ready for a season to go into June. Um, so I look forward to us competing for NBA championship this year. Um, and every night I go on the court, I approach it that way. On us trying to get better for the long-term goal. Short-term goal, we want to just continue to get better every night. So how do you stay motivated?

And you do both off the court and on the court.

Well, I'm in a position where I can be the best I can be each and every night. I have an organization, I have a team, I have great coaches around me that that can put ourselves in a position to be the best each and every year. And then personally, I hold myself up to a standard higher than anyone. So that keeps me going as well.

Certainly athletes are trained to say, "I just want to play and I want to win, and this is the most important thing to me." And then when you make a decision, and we saw it in the movie, that this isn't the most important— this is what I do, but it isn't the most important thing to you. Is that a tran— I mean, I'm sure you play with guys in your dressing room who don't share the same values as you.

Well, that's why you have guys in our league that's superstars, and you have guys that's stars, and then you have all-stars, and then you have guys that's okay players. I mean, I accept the challenge every night. Every night I go on the basketball court, and everyday life, I accept the challenge because I realize I'm not just representing LeBron James. I'm representing, you know, my two sons. I represent my family. I represent everybody in my household and also the city of Cleveland. And now I have an even brighter mind now. I represent the United States of America.