The Promises of Giants summary

John Amaechi was a clever teenager. He knew that becoming an NBA basketball player was an ambitious goal – especially for a kid from Manchester, England, who wasn’t even good at sports. So before he told his mother about his dream, he came up with a strategy that he thought was watertight, considering everything from catching the attention of a college sports recruiter to what time of day was best to tell her.

But when Amaechi told his mom his plan, she didn’t pick it apart or tell him it was a pipe dream. Instead, she asked him if he’d recognize his soul in the dark. 

Determined to be an NBA star even if it meant giving up pie, teenage Amaechi hit the gym. He also wrote letters to coaches at American high schools. His sports prowess wasn’t impressive – yet. But he knew that if he spent a year in an American high school he’d improve his skills, giving him a better chance of being recruited by a college that would lead to the NBA.

Since this was the late 1980s, Amaechi had to write thousands of letters by hand. And he poured his heart into them, each describing his dream of playing for the NBA. [pause} He didn’t receive a single reply. Amaechi imagined coaches across the US laughing at him, a deluded kid from Manchester. Still, he gathered his courage and wrote more letters, etching his dream deeper and deeper into his heart each time he wrote it down. 

When Amaechi was eleven, his mom changed his first name to John; up until that point, he’d been Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi. But it wasn’t that she was worried about what people might think of her son because of his name. She was worried about what they’d do. A hiring manager might call John in for an interview, whereas she might have tossed a resume from somebody named Uzoma in the trash. A John might be more embraced in the workplace than an Uzoma would, too.

Amaechi’s mom understood a truth about humanity; no matter how much we want to deny it, everyone has biases. But people often forget that they can choose whether or not they let those biases influence their words and actions. A giant knows how damaging biases are – and not just those of others. They understand they have to pay constant attention to their own biases too, so that they don’t cause harm. 

Amaechi’s name wasn’t the only thing that changed when he was eleven. He also started school in an area outside his hometown. A lot of kids find changing schools rough, but for Amaechi, it was devastating. 

Up until that point, he’d seen himself through his mom’s eyes – a clever kid she was proud of. But the people in his new school told a different story. They either were afraid of him because of his size, mocked him like he was a sideshow freak, or spoke really slowly, like he was stupid or had only just arrived in the UK. For a bright kid who took pride in being studious, this was hurtful and confusing.

Once, after a long international flight, Amaechi used a car service to get to his hotel. Once in the car, Amaechi noticed that both front seats had been pushed forward to give him more legroom in the back.

He was touched by this level of care. The driver had clearly looked him up beforehand and thought of ways to make him comfortable. It made Amaechi feel seen and valued, and he realized how important these qualities were in the workplace.

From his balcony at home, Amaechi can see into a courtyard shared by some office buildings. He’s watched smokers there flick their butts to the curb while onlookers say nothing. Since the space is already littered, other employees don’t bother taking their garbage to the trash can. And more often than not, before you know it, a butt has ignited trash on the ground and everyone is upset. How on earth could a fire have started? And why didn’t anyone stop it from happening?

Workplace culture is a lot like that accumulation of trash. No one calls out a small transgression because, hey, is it really worth the confrontation? But when that small transgression isn’t called out, other people think it’s okay for them to behave that way too. It isn’t until the situation reaches crisis point and management can’t ignore it any longer that they finally clean up the mess. But they usually don’t address the behavior that led to that crisis in the first place, so the whole pattern repeats.

Amaechi’s dream of becoming a pro basketball player came true when he secured a spot on NBA team the Cleveland Cavaliers. After playing a season with them, and a few more overseas, Amaechi joined the Orlando Magic – a fringe playoff team. Then, in the year 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers tried to recruit him. They offered him millions more dollars than the Magic, and the chance to play for a team on its way to the championships. On paper, it was the offer of a lifetime.

But Amaechi turned it down. The Magic gave him something he valued more than money and fame – a team in the truest sense. Everyone working for the organization – from management to support personnel – was committed to trust, psychological safety, and individual agency. Amaechi knew these qualities foster success. But more important than success, Amaechi felt he truly belonged to the Magic family, and that was a source of deep joy. He couldn’t give that up for any amount of money.