Monday Motivation, 6.1.2020

Written by: Stacy Tolbert

Every Monday, The Rogers-Long Team meets for one of its two weekly meetings. The Monday meeting always ends with “Monday Motivation” in which a few minutes are spent listening to one team member presenting a quote, a quick reading from a book, a scene from a movie, or anything else they find motivating to provide a “spark” to the whole team on a Monday morning.

To be honest, to try and sit here and find something motivating to say after this week is proving to be difficult. Instead for today I will stick with my elaborate plan of discussing the trials and tribulations of the great NBA teams and players from the 80’s and 90’s after binge watching many 30 for 30 films.

First, watching Isiah Thomas in Game 6 of the 1988 finals finish with 43 points and 8 assists while hobbling around on a rolled right ankle shows how determination and commitment can help lead and rally a team to come back.  After returning to the court in the 3^rd quarter his teammates saw that his heart and soul was in that game as he rallied 25 points in the 3^rd ultimately leading, he and his team to a win. His team saw his determination and fed off the energy.

Second, Most people have a work family, but not all work families are functional (many are dysfunctional). But when you find a work family that you can truly trust and be yourself around knowing they have your back, do not take that moment lightly. This is what the young Dennis Rodman had when drafted out of the NBA under coach Chuck Daly. Never having a healthy family life, Coach Daly and the Bad Boys, gave Dennis the family and brotherhood he had always been seeking. In turn this brotherhood of bad boys won back to back championships by working together, pushing each other, and lifting each other up. You can see the impact it had on Rodman once Daly left the team, and why it is so important.

Third, Fighting Adversity, in 1991, Magic Johnson, had to go into retirement after finding out he was HIV positive. His stunning announcement but frank honesty help start to shed light on a disease that “most people didn’t understand on how the virus was transmitted. The level of miseducation surrounding HIV lead to the tragic stigmatizing of those suffering from it”.  Three months after his announcement he stepped out of retirement to play in the 1992 All Star Game. As you can imagine with all the miseducation about this disease many players behind closed doors were worried and threatening not to play, but Rodman spoke up and said he would guard against Magic, showing that it’s ok to play against him. Magic was so worried the night before the game about being accepted, but was welcomed by the players and crowd, a step in the right direction. Though he had to leave the game he loved dearly, and after being prompted by his wife to get his ass off the couch, his business portfolio, Magic Johnson Enterprises, is quite diverse and worth over one billion dollars and including at one point being the President of the LA Lakers.

Last, then there is the “Air Man” himself, MJ, Michael Jordan. Many see him as the ultimate team leader, others saw him as someone who pushed too hard/ short of bullying but his thoughts were,

“Winning has a price,” Jordan said. “And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn’t want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn’t want to be challenged. And I earned that right because [other] teammates came after me. They didn’t endure all the things that I endured. Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn’t going to take anything less.”

Stacy Tolbert, The Transaction Coordinator for The Rogers-Long Team: Powered by Hometown Realty, was a client of Ben & Kevin’s in 2015. After hiring The RLT for her family’s move, Ben returned the favor and hired her to come work with the team! Stacy’s primary role is coordinating transactions from contract to close. In her spare time, you can find Stacy working in the garden, tasting Craft Beer, or managing her three fantasy football teams!