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The Reinvention Principle  When Michael Jordan retired from basketball (the first time) in 1993 he was arguably one of the greatest players of all time. He was known for being an incredible scorer, an amazing dunker, an intense defender, and a three-time NBA champion. A season and a half later, after trying his hand at minor league baseball, Jordan returned to professional basketball and would lead his team to a championship in each of his last three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. To the casual observer Jordan’s career after his return from retirement could seem very similar to his career before retirement. Both periods of his career resulted in three championships. His scoring average, even in is last year for the Chicago Bulls, was still a lead-leading 28.7 points per game. On top of that he was also a member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team for each of the three seasons with the Bulls after returning to the court. Yet, there was a tremendous difference in the way Michael Jordan played the game of basketball after he came back to the game. What changed was not his success, his intensity, or even his ability to score points on top of points. Instead what changed was his method. During the Bulls first three championship seasons Jordan scored points primarily by driving to the baskets and going to the rim. During Chicago’s second trio of championships, however, Jordan scored an incredible amount of points with outside shots, including an unstoppable turnaround jumper. His best two seasons from the three-point line where the first two full years after he returned from baseball. Whenever he made up his mind to get to the rim no one could stop him, but when he came back from retirement that facet of his game was much less than before. The greatest basketball player of all time stayed the greatest because he was smart enough to reinvent himself. That reinvention, a subtle change in method, led to continued success. A change in how he played meant there would be no change in who was the best. Jordan’s ability to reinvent himself is an important lesson for men today. As husbands and fathers we can often get used to doing things a certain way; one that is comfortable and comes the easiest to us. Maybe that way of being a husband has even been working well, but life has a way of changing on us. What is the best way today may not be guaranteed to be the best way tomorrow. Our lives, our circumstances, our families sizes and personalities will all constantly be in a state of change. To be effective leaders of our families we need to constantly be on the lookout for the need and the time to reinvent ourselves. A husband and father who is aware of and continually adapting to the changes that are going on in his family will be a success by any measure. Staff Writer: Aaron Sharp |
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