Whether a player, a coach, a corporate worker, the worst thing we can do is stay the same — improve, never get better at what we do, never out-produce the year before. We must avoid the disease of stagnation. Nothing could be less gratifying than to stay the same day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year!

We need to grow in our professions. I’ve been very fortunate to experience first-hand how important it is to learn form those who came before us — the former Boston Celtics. Guys like Bill Russell, John Havlicek, KC Jones, and even the late Coach Auerbach. They all had such pride in the Celtic family that they came back and talked to us about how they were able to sustain success. They talked to us about so many other topics that we all wanted to learn from.

So it was a huge thing that these legendary coaches and players wanted to share their wisdom with us. But the fact that our players and coaches were willing to listen and learn was equally as important. It’s amazing how the great ones in our game (the Paul Pierces; the Ray Allens; the Kevin Garnetts) are all ears when they have a chance to learn from the great players who came before them. They wanted to know what they knew!

Any time you have a chance to learn from the wisdom of those who came before you, you must take advantage of it. It is wisdom you can’t get any other way. The great ones seek this!

Find the people who can help you. Don’t get caught up in their age or whether you think “the game has passed them by,” as success can translate over the years. You just have to take advantage of it and learn from it. It’s invaluable education!