Greatness is in the agency of others

I’ve read a lot of Scott Galloway’s articles [https://www.profgalloway.com/], and read his most recent novel The Algebra of wealth [https://a.co/d/5GGsl9a]. One of his favorite sayings is “…greatness is in the agency of others.”

I was thinking of this when I watched the Celtics win the NBA championship last night. They have two very good (or great, depending on your viewpoint) in Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They were drafted in back to back drafts and have been to the playoffs every year. They almost won a championship in 2022.

They also, this year, have 3 other very good starters, and guys coming off the bench that are good, and complement their playing style.

There are a lot of reasons the Celtics won this year. Superior talent, elite players, historically good offense and defense. But one of the biggest reasons they succeeded is that their two best players bought into the idea that they could achieve greatness by putting their trust in others.

No great thing happens because of the work of a single person. Achievements happen by working with others.