What A Tech CEO, Luka And An Iceberg Can Teach You About Success

We’ve all worked somewhere where the walls are adorned by those inspirational posters of a majestic iceberg peacefully towering above blue waters representing “success.” Then below the surface, the glacier’s bigger, bulkier mass symbolizes all the hidden challenges endured. Be advised, the poster reminds us, that the leaders who are willing to go through that bigger, bulkier phase of their journey soon find themselves towering above the rest.

This season, the basketball world gave me the perfect leadership lesson with a young star named Luka—not NBA all-star guard Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, but Luka Garza at the University of Iowa. Whereas Doncic just celebrated his 22nd birthday and has been in “iceberg territory” since age 16 when he made his professional debut in the EuroLeague, Garza is two months older, still in college, and finally starting to see the waves of stardom splash around him.

He is a 6-foot-11 senior for the Hawkeyes, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, and just last month became the University’s all-time leading scorer. Garza leads the NCAA with an average of 24.3 points per game this season—and he’s the only true center among the Top-50 in the nation.

Clearly, he has emerged as an iceberg rising above what will likely be a guard-heavy NCAA tournament field. But what I marvel at most about Garza is the work ethic below the surface that continues to support his progress.

Five years ago, Garza was the last prospect listed in ESPN’s Top 100 high school player rankings—and his name was even misspelled (Luke instead of Luka). A few years before that, people suggested that his most suitable position was on the bench. At the surface level, they weren’t wrong. His four points per game average as a freshman at Maret High School in the Washington D.C. area was easy to overlook. Then, Garza looked within and started shaping the work ethic that helped his stats float to the top.

He and his father began spending summers of intense training sessions with former University of Idaho coach Bill Trumbo. They put in countless hours beyond normal practice time, learning and exploring ways to improve his skills and abilities. Fueled by his early doubters–and motivated by an emphasis to continually improve–Garza has gone from an afterthought to any opposing team’s first thought.

Every college basketball team in America conducts practice—that’s common. Where the uncommon talent shows itself is in the willingness to provide effort beyond the required window. For Garza, it is the extra studying, grinding, sweating, learning between games – and between seasons – that continues makes all the difference. And he’s not alone in Iowa City. His teammate Jordan Bohannon, who I featured in a Forbes piece three years ago after he tied the school record for consecutive made free throws, is on the verge of toppling Iowa’s assist record—yet another reward of an uncommon work ethic.

The same is true in business. I had the opportunity to interview a fantastic leader – CEO Xavier Williams of American Virtual Cloud Technologies – on my weekly podcast. He stressed the importance of what you do beyond the regular work hours.

“I used to do my job from 8-to-5 (o’clock); then I would learn the business from 5-to-8 (o’clock),” said Williams. “And the 5-to-8 (o’clock) portion is real important… You make a difference – you grow when people don’t see you.”

With a background that includes AT&T and the national board of Make-a-Wish, Williams is as decorated an executive as you’ll find. Still, he shared with me that his work ethic has always been the secret sauce—a foundation that began during his basketball days at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania.

“Of course, people would always see us at the basketball gym and judge us on how we were doing then. But the thing that got us over the hump was what you didn’t see. When we were up at seven in the morning, running laps around the campus… getting in better condition,” Williams reflected fondly. “That discipline has carried out through my career. I’ve got to get up in the morning and make sure that I’m conditioned – whether it’s my body, my mind, or whatever – to make sure that I can be ahead of the game and be able to thrive at the end of the game.”

The discipline to work beyond what’s required continues to push Williams in the AVCT boardroom, and it drives Garza on the Big Ten basketball court. Whether it’s consistently reading a weekly Forbes blog, sticking to a morning workout plan, or learning new software that could help your company, the work ethic you’re willing to put in after hours makes all the difference in the performance you deliver.

I urge you to be the iceberg—to embrace challenges and develop uncommon habits that allow you to learn and grow. Take time now to consider what you can do to transform your work ethic so that your stats, accolades, and leadership soon tower above the rest.