Aim For Excellence
November 30, 2009
Jim had just completed his last objective for our coaching engagement and we were wrapping up our work together.
“Before we conclude, I want to pick your brain on one more thing. Knowing I intend to be a CEO or company owner one day, what are some things I should keep in mind as I continue to shape my career?”
I was so glad he asked! This was the perfect opportunity to share a powerful insight that I learned from basketball icon Michael Jordan. Here is my response:
“Jim, you’ve done very well for yourself, quickly rising to the top tier of your company. Several of your colleagues have done the same. But if you want to get to the top, if you really want to be a person of excellence, don’t compete with them. Compete with yourself.”
“Someone once said to Michael Jordan, ‘I notice you’re always on the court, practicing and practicing your game. But you’re already the best! You don’t even need the practice! Why don’t you just relax every now and then?’
“He fell silent for a moment, and then he looked them in the eye and said, ‘I don’t practice to be better than everyone else. I practice to be better than me. I only compare myself to this person you’re looking at. If I compared myself to other players, I wouldn’t be as good as I am today. I’m playing the game of excellence.”
I’ve seen that same attitude in Tiger Woods and several other people at the top of their game, and upon further reflection, it makes a lot of sense. When we’re comparing ourselves against the competition, we’re redirecting some attention away from our own work. This diminishes our focus and reframes the goal: to beat the competition. But you can beat the competition and never achieve excellence.
Aim for excellence. It will keep you focused and fulfilled, not distracted and frustrated.
Something to reflect on:
The mind is a funny thing… it’s always looking to compare and compete. But even if you’re better than the next guy, you may still be only a shade above average.
Someone once said, there will always be people better than you, and there will always be people worse than you. So comparison will bring you self-satisfaction or frustration, but it will never fulfill you.
When you strive for your own standard of excellence, well, that’s when the game really gets interesting!
Pamela Dunn, founder of Executive Coaching International, is passionate about helping successful professionals and entrepreneurs achieve their highest vision of success. As a former trainer for world-class success coach Tony Robbins, Pamela has a tremendous amount of insight into personal and professional success. Her unique High Performance Coaching System is a results-oriented program that has helped countless professionals find focus, build efficiency, and eliminate overwhelm. For information about Pamela’s coaching program, or to sign up for more free, high-performance articles like this, please visit her online at http://www.pameladunn.com/.
