NBA Linsanity

You probably have heard of “Linsanity” or “Lincredible” a lot recently. Jeremy Lin – “Linsanity” – is a remarkable New York Knicks player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history. He has led his team to score seven winning games in the last two weeks. Jeremy Lin has scored 136 points in his first five games with the Knicks, more than anybody since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976. He holds a record score average of 20 points and eight assists in the last six winning games. Time Magazine has put him on the cover. Jeremy Lin is an NBA superstar, and more importantly, he is an Asian.

Jeremy Lin has become a global idol. In China, sports fans and commentators are quick to claim Lin, an American born to Taiwan immigrants with roots in mainland China. But he is Chinese no matter what. Most importantly, he graduated from Harvard University in 2010. He has broken the stereotype that an Asian can only be good at mathematics and physics. He shows that we Chinese can boast of more than just studying hard. He also showed the world that Chinese and Asians can compete with African-Americans or Eurasians in basketball without height advantage.

The challenge that Jeremy Lin has posed to leaders and managers worldwide is how many other Jeremy Lins (in sports, the arts and business) are there who are not yet getting their own chance? How do you find the talent that does not conform to expectations?