These are my own musings of what I’ve gleaned from Kobe Bryant’s career. I was not particularly of a fan, but it was interesting how he created a second act. Everyone will have to create several acts for their career. Even if you don’t follow basketball, you can follow along.
Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others. He was much more than an NBA player. He mastered reinvention after a long successful sports career without interruption, which
Like the aggressive and quick
Kobe Bryant’s shortlist of achievements:
Spoke three languages (English, Spanish, Italian)
13th Round Pick overall
Five-time NBA Champion
Two-time Finals MVP
18 All-Star appearances
Two-time Olympic Gold Medal Winner
Academy Award Winner (Dear Basketball)
For this moment, there are two takeaway themes to learn from his career.
“Detail.”
Bryant said about his ESPN show, “It’s not for simple-minded people.” Most people didn’t know he had a show on ESPN+ more for the basketball player than the average basketball fan. One of his shows, he uses Scottie Pippen as the ideal defensive player. Kobe said if he were a newly drafted player, he would focus on defense and watch a lot of film because if you do the homework, it has all of the answers.
What if your mentality to your job search had a similar approach before you plan to leave your current job or just separated from your last one? We have too many tools now to go to a new team (or employer) without studying. I’ve suggested repeatedly you should stay engaged in a job search even if it’s just studying. Test time is rough, and so is a job search without job options.
Storytelling
Kobe created a story, EPOCA: The Tree of ECOF, “is the inspiring tale of two talented and diverse young track and field athletes who must “race” to find their inner magic and grana in order to save their classmates (and each other) from evil forces.” But if you followed his Facebook page for the last several years, his posts were all about storytelling as was his show. Even as the narrator and writer of the short film, “Dear Basketball,” based on the letter he wrote announcing his retirement, you’re riding the waves of his experience.
Think about what this would mean in the storytelling of your career. You should want employers who hear your career story to hear your voice as someone who belongs beside them, and not as a kid who is looking through the window at a candy store. If you look at Kobe’s Facebook page, you can tell the clear and riveting way he used storytelling.
Kobe’s reinvented career was as seamless from playing in the NBA to being a player in entertainment. Kobe won an Emmy and an Oscar as a creator, as it’s as similar to the MVP and championship trophies he won as a pro basketball player. The main lesson we can learn from his career is the preparation for the next phase begins now.
About Mark Anthony Dyson
I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.