I'm seeing a lot of chatter about "NBA Draft" today, and it brings to mind a conversation Sheryl and I often have on *It Starts with Joy*. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, the projections, the "what ifs." The pressure to pick the 'right' player, to secure the 'best' future.
But what happens when we lead from that place of urgent prediction? We often lose sight of alignment. A draft isn't just about talent; it's about fit. It’s about how a player’s unique strengths, and indeed their humanity, integrate with the team’s existing culture, values, and strategic vision.
Choosing from a place of fear, or simply from the loudest external voices, that’s where joy goes to die, isn't it? Joy isn’t soft. Joy is the strongest choice you’ll ever make because it demands honest vulnerability and a clear-eyed commitment to what truly serves the whole. It asks us to breathe, and then decide from the part of us that’s steady.
So, for all the GMs and leaders out there, whether you're drafting a player or making any other high-stakes decision: are you making this choice from a place of strategic alignment, or is that fear talking, love? Now, what’s the truth beneath that story?