bcg blog

The Best

On the surface this may sound like I don’t care about performing at a high level - like I sacrifice standards to help people feel good about themselves at the expense of achievement.
That’s not the case.

I believe strongly in pursuing greatness. I believe the pursuit of excellence is important, really important. I also believe chasing ‘the best’ is fruitless.

The modern day stoic, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, summed my philosophy up pretty succinctly on TNT NBA broadcast during a debate on who the greatest basketball player of all time is. The debate usually boils down to Jordan or LeBron and there are hundreds of legitimate arguments on both sides, as well as many more valid arguments for other great players.

Kenny made the point, “There is not a greatest, just greatness.”

Why Should We Care?
In our chase for the best, we dismiss the great. Our constant comparison and justification for our beliefs of judgment on who, or what, is best robs us of the opportunity to appreciate greatness all around us. 

It’s the judgment that we seek, yet despise, isn’t it? We want to know where we rank compared to others in our arena. It appeases the ego to know that there are others below us, but how does it help us? It doesn’t. It hurts us. 

If we continue on the ‘best’ path we will eventually find ourselves changing the metrics we measure the ‘best’ by. I mean, afterall, it is completely subjective. Or, if we don’t change the metrics we begin searching for excuses or justifications of why someone else can perform at a higher level than us.

These don’t help us become the ‘best’. More importantly, they pull the blinds on the greatness of what we’re doing. They minimize the obstacles we’ve overcome, the purpose we live with, and the process we’ve chosen to take on a daily basis. 

REAL TALK - Action Steps
It’s interesting to me that this approach is perceived by some as non-competitive, or lacking toughness. The competition has, and always will be, with ourselves. We can acknowledge it or deny it, the truth remains.

• Define Success
  
  • This needs to be written down and articulated or you will be pulled back to society’s definition of success - money, status, fame … or how close you are to the best. Societal success has become too widely accepted as the truth, but it doesn’t need to be. You make that call, but you have to make it intentionally. The default will always be everyone else. If you have a purpose statement and core values, you have your definition of success.
    

• Compliment the Process
  
  • The primary difference between appreciating greatness compared to being the best is about how, not what. How you go about pursuing goals and living life provides the excellence of greatness. It’s less about what and more about how. Recognize that and be intentional with your process while recognizing the greatness in others because of the process they’ve chosen. 
    

• Hold Fast, Stay True
  
  • You live in a world that is going to compare. You don’t have to. You live in a world that wants to rank you and tell you what you are worth. You don’t have to. You have the power to define success on your terms and refuse to pass judgment where others fall on the success spectrum. 
    

It’s about performing at our best, not being the best - an arbitrary, subjective judgment. We can control our best. That’s how we provide value to the world and fulfillment to ourselves. Recognize and acknowledge greatness in yourself and others. That’s the best.

For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. 
We would love to know how we could help!

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