Winning attitudes translate into success at all levels. Recognizing and emulating the winning attitude of a successful person is not just a compliment to a role model, it’s an essential element in developing your own success. A good friend, Joe, recently told a story which makes this point as relevant today as when he first learned it.
Joe possesses a winning attitude which has translated into a very successful company and he is a man that others watch; however, Joe began life focused on himself rather than on the successes of others, a flaw he had to overcome quickly in college:
“When I was a freshman playing football I was ready to set the world
on fire. I thought I had arrived and it was just a matter of showing it
to my teammates,” he laughed. “One day I was standing in line in the
weight room waiting for a machine and I was talking most of my wait.
After a while I heard an imposing voice behind me ask ‘Do you want
to be good?’ I turned around to find the 6’8” senior captain of the
football team behind me. He was revered for his athletic abilities
and leadership and I was surprised by his question.
He asked me again: ‘Do you want to be good?’
Yes sir, I do, I said.
‘Then stop talking and start learning,’ he commanded. ‘There are
veteran players on those machines; have you observed their
technique. Are you watching to learn what they do? On this team, if
you want to succeed there are no wasted moments. You can talk, or
you can wait quietly in line and learn; but only if you want to be good.’
That was a lesson I never forgot. I apply it every day in my work, and
I teach my executives to do the same: be quiet to learn.
We all face times waiting for growth in our careers and personal lives; we all have experienced stalled economies that slow our goals and dreams, when our aspirations can’t advance as quickly as we desire. At those times, it feels as if we’re standing in a slow line instead of being in the center of the action. However, how we handle those moments is the key to being good. We can chose to determine our future success by maximizing the opportunities in front of us during those stalled moments. Instead of complaining about circumstances, miring ourselves in excuses or becoming complacent until it’s our turn to receive our desired progress, we need to observe, learn and anticipate results. When the wait is over a plan should be ready to execute. Significant advancement does not happen by taking the waiting periods for granted. Forward-thinking leadership uses waiting periods for growth and improvement.
So, who are you watching and emulating? Are you investing in your own development, personally and professionally? How are you turning what may possibly be your most difficult challenges into blessings in disguise? When Joe was standing in the midst of his peers wasting time and distracting his teammates, he could have become defensive when confronted by his team captain and dismissed the message he needed to hear. Instead, Joe abandoned his ego in order to absorb direction from a successful player, and he made that lesson his own. How prepared are you to check your ego, to be quiet and welcome learning opportunities during the slow times? Will you be ready to initiate a new strategy the moment your wait is over, or will you still be standing in a slow line waiting for your turn?