Always Do Your Best!

I did not like school.

I liked to learn, but I did not like school.

Most of the time I was bored and disinterested. My body was present in the classroom, but my mind was far away.

I did like learning what I considered useful and practical. Subjects like math and mechanical drawing I found interesting. Until I entered Georgia Tech, I was confident that I would be the next Frank Lloyd Wright. Why should an architect be bothered with English, social studies and that sort of material?

In addition to being disinterested, I thought the teaching methods were too rigid and required too much rote memory rather than creative thinking. The objective seemed to be ... prepare to make good grades on the tests.

As a result of my attitude, I did not earn good grades. I did not like school.

However, when I entered the eight-grade I encountered a subject that

I loved! Algebra! It made sense to me. It was practical. I had no trouble understanding it. For Algebra, I was all-in!

During the first quarter, on every test, I received a perfect grade of 100. On every classroom assignment and every homework assignment, my grade was 100. I visualized taking my report card home at the end of the first quarter and showing my parents a perfect score, 100!

To my disbelief, the grade on my report card was 99. When I confronted my teacher, she said,“ No one is perfect.”

I was totally disappointed and discouraged.

For the next quarter, I put forth no effort and received a grade of 71 and a lecture from my teacher,“ James, you didn’t even try, you must always do your best.”

I decided to do my best for the third quarter, and again I received perfect grades of 100 on everything. At the end of the third quarter when I looked at my report card, again, I had only received a 99. I was angry and confronted the teacher, again she said,“No one is perfect.”

During the fourth quarter, I did just enough to get by. If I couldn’t get the recognition I deserved, I didn’t care what the grade was as long as I passed the course. When the teacher passed out the grades for the fourth quarter, she called me to her desk. She handed me my quarterly report with a grade of 79 and proceeded to give me advice.“ James, if … you ever want to amount to anything, you must … always do your best.”

Mrs. Kathleen Dolphin taught me more than basic algebra; she embedded an important lesson in the mind of a cocky, rebellious and uncooperative teenager.

It is a lesson that I have never forgotten. I learned that it didn’t matter who kept the score or whether they kept it correctly. It didn’t matter whether I got credit or recognition. What mattered was that … I knew … I had done my best.

I didn’t like Mrs. Dolphin’s method, but I treasure her lesson.

Always … Do Your Best!

For 70 years, I have heard her speak to me. Thousands of times I have heard her voice and still hear it today. I did want to amount to something, and I slowly learned to follow her advice.

When I retired, I was asked, “If you could do it over again what would you change about your career?”

My reply, “Nothing … I always did my best.”

Always … Do Your Best!

Jimmy Collins

P.S. Would you like more stories on the Principles of Creative Followership?

My latest book, Jimmy’s Stories is available on Amazon: https://a.co/5wfFRaK

Signed and personalized books are available on Biblio.com.

Creative Followership https://www.biblio.com/book/creative-followership-jimmy-collins-michael-cooley/d/1242065835

Jimmy’s Stories https://www.biblio.com/book/jimmys-stories-jimmy-collins-michael-cooley/d/1242065914