Business Executives And NBA Star Stephen Curry Use Shadows To Shine Brighter

Imagine shattering your company's record for monthly sales. Imagine brokering a deal that completely changes the way your industry operates. What do you do next?

Well, if you're 3-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry, you put in extra work. Human nature typically leads us to relax after moments of high achievement. Bask for a bit, relish the moment. But the Great Ones combat complacency with an uncommon focus on getting even better.

For the past month, Curry has led his injury-riddled Golden State Warriors franchise to a potential spot in the playoffs while reinventing the way top talent chases top performance. Fifteen different April boxscores show he contributed at least 30 points in the game. Curry has made more than 50% of shots attempted during that span, including a 46% success rate from beyond the three-point line.

As impressive as Curry's record-breaking month-long average of 37.3 points per game is, I'd argue the real winners have been the fans smart enough to flock to the socially distanced arenas 60-90 minutes before the opening tip-off. These fans are showing up early to watch Curry's pregame routine.

Yes... Please cue the famous "practice" video clip from NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. But after you watch AI's viral rant, you should know that practice has been pure gold for Golden State's franchise face.

Curry's rigorous routines seem choreographed with dribbling, stretching, and shooting feats that one might expect to see at a Cirque du Soleil performance—not an NBA pregame. The fans are in the stands, cameras out, just to record as Curry prepares himself for the night ahead. While other teammates and opponents are conserving energy and casually going through the motions, Curry has already drenched his second sweatshirt. He's putting in the elite-level preparation necessary to help him when it matters most. It's that work in the shadows that allows him to shine in the spotlight.

No matter the profession, the Great Ones are wired similarly. I remember sharing earlier this month how Tech CEO Xavier Williams of American Virtual Cloud Technologies propelled his career through a willingness to work and grow outside of office hours.

"I used to do my job from 8-5 (o'clock); I would learn the business from 5-to-8 (o'clock)," said Williams. "You grow when people don't see you."

Sure, millions of people see Curry now. However, it's the work the 2-time MVP did when no one was watching that made him “must see TV.” It was the blood, sweat, tears and effort logged long before the in-game scoring sprees. After each game—win or lose—Curry would waste no time getting back to practice with a consistent motor for improvement.

Imagine a business leader with that type of intentional effort toward professional development. A recent podcast conversation I had with Chevron executive Kim McHugh shed light on the lessons she learned about not relying solely on game time as a means to grow. McHugh played college volleyball for Coach Terry Condon at Texas A&M University and still treasures one valuable lesson on effort and preparation taught to her entire team after a "win" against Rice University.

"We were ranked much higher than Rice; we should have beaten them soundly. We ended up having to go five games to secure the win. So, she (Coach) made us go up to the locker room after the game. She had our workout clothes laying on the bench… And she told us to put on our workout clothes," recalled McHugh. "So we put on our workout clothes and went out on the court, and she said, 'that was embarrassing. You did not show up 100% of the team you are, and we're not going to play to the level of our opponents. We're going to play to the level that we can play. You're going to work out now because you didn't play hard enough.' That remains embedded in my mind: If you're going to do it, you're going to do it 100% no matter what, every time."

McHugh said she carried that right into her Fortune 500 mentality where she emphasizes being well prepared to take on anything—the important projects, exciting assignments, or boring tasks.

As we continue to marvel over Stephen Curry's record-setting accomplishments, take time to assess what work you are doing in the shadows. Are you finding ways outside of office hours to enhance your skillset? Are you practicing your sales pitch in the morning mirror? Are you studying the industry and looking for areas to strengthen your approach? Doing so could be the difference between a simple spot on the roster or being an elite contributor.