To be successful, you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, t... — Michael Jordan

To be successful, you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish.

Author: Michael Jordan

Insight: There's a useful tension buried in this idea that most success advice ignores. We're often told to choose: either pursue your dreams ruthlessly or become a generous team player. Jordan is saying both are necessary, just at different times. When you're climbing, you have to protect your energy and focus fiercely. You can't say yes to everything or get derailed by other people's needs. That single-minded push is how you actually get good at something. But here's the part that catches people off guard: once you've reached competence or mastery, the rules shift. The very selfishness that got you there can become a trap. The best performers often find that their greatest satisfaction—and paradoxically, their lasting success—comes from lifting others up, mentoring, creating something bigger than themselves. It's not that they suddenly become nice people. It's that they've learned selfishness has a shelf life. The trick is knowing which season you're in. If you're still building, don't feel guilty about your focus. But if you've achieved what you set out to do and you're still protecting it the same way, you might be mistaking success for significance. The second move is often harder than the first.

Source: For the Love of the Game: My Story, p. 71, 1998