Although I still consider myself a sports fan, I was far more interested in sports back in the 80’s and 90’s than I am today. Recently, however, I had a nostalgic flashback as I was reminded by author and blogger Andy Andrews about the “Jordan Effect,” a label opposing coaches and the media ascribed to the Chicago Bulls because of the alleged reluctance of NBA referees to call fouls on “His Air-ness” during those peak years of Jordan’s legendary career.

As the phenomena picked up steam in the media, the “Jordan Effect” became a favorite topic of opposing teams’ fans, sports talk radio, even ESPN Sports Center. This fueled the perception that the Bulls had a built-in advantage of at least 5 points per game thanks to the prejudicial favor that star-struck officials bestowed upon Michael.

Was this really true? (Warning: Don’t ask anyone from Chicago…they will either vociferously deny it or depending upon their fanaticism, pick a fight with you!) Did Michael’s awe-inspiring talent have so much influence over the game as to alter the rules and influence the discernment of professionally- trained NBA officials?

As Andrews writes in his blog, the Jordan Effect had very little to do with Michael’s prowess on the court.  Yes, he did have an unfair advantage, but it had nothing to do with his game. The real story behind the” Jordan Effect” is that M.J. never, ever stopped competing.  As hard as Jordan worked on his “hard skills,” he worked just as hard on his “soft skills.”

Andy Andrews writes:

“If you watched other superstars from that time period, you’ll remember how many of them reacted when the refs call them for a foul. Many times—most times—they huffed and puffed and argued with the call. They criticized the officials in the media. But not Michael Jordan. Jordan made sure he knew each official by name. So before the game started and the teams were in the arena warming up (or in the lobby of the hotel) he’d talk. “Hey Steve,” he’d say. “How’s your son doing? Bobby’s in the eighth grade this year, right? I hear he’s doing well on the court. You tell Bobby for me that I got cut from my junior high school team. Heck Steve! Your kid is doing better at this stage of his career than I did. You tell him I said to keep it up.” Now, that ref gets to go home to his son and say, “Hey, guess what Michael told me to tell you. Oh, you didn’t know? Yes, son…Michael and I are great friends!” Later, during the game, who do you think gets the benefit of the doubt? Who gets more fouls called…the player griping, complaining, and cussing the official, or the official’s buddy—the guy who cares about his son?”

While most players stopped playing when the buzzer sounded, Jordan never stopped. He gained a tremendous advantage over his peers because he understood how to extend his influence—build his brand—in every arena, with the people who mattered most.

I find this fascinating, inspirational, and highly relevant to anyone looking to build a strong personal brand.

For most of his career, Michael Jordan’s basketball skills were among the best of any player in history. No one ever questioned his commitment to continuously improving his game. Unlike other top players of his era, however, Jordan worked just as hard on his people skills—listening, remembering, responding, and connecting—as on his court skills. In basketball, where snap judgments by officials often decide the outcome of a game, Jordan knew how to stack the odds in his favor.

It’s a lesson we can all learn. All things being equal – if you’re selling the same product or service, competing for the same career, or raising charitable funds from the same donors – the one with the best soft skills will succeed more often.

That’s what I call Legendary Advice.