Looking to get hired? Think like the Williams sisters

Even their mother has said they weren’t perfectly athletic – not early on, at least. Nor were they raised in a country club atmosphere. But Venus and Serena Williams knew how to work. They put in their time, they listened to their coaches (their mother and father) and they wouldn’t abide complacency. To this day, deep into their careers, at a time when injury and fame tend to distract athletes, they clearly remain focused, deeply competitive and unafraid to look beyond “good enough.”

That’s what I look for. Whether you can do the job is important, but only as a starting point, a minimum. I want somebody who reaches for a higher bar, somebody who needs to looking ahead and ask, “What else?”

My favorite type of employee is one who sees performing their job as the least of their goals in a day. The people I want are the ones who push themselves to go beyond the tasks and say, “Ok, I know what I’ve been asked to do, but what else can I do?” They understand that their name is on this job and that it means something more than a paycheck.  

I’ve heard people say you’re only as good as your worst habits. I’ll add that some habits are so ingrained they resist change by instruction, encouragement and “positivity” – and don’t get me wrong, I love positivity. But seeing someone else succeed gets peoples’ attention too. It lights a fire. It’s natural to become complacent, especially when we get good at something. But when somebody dynamic arrives, it can make us a little jealous – not a bad thing, sometimes – or put another way, it can motivate us.

I want people who push, folks who look beyond “good enough” – competitive types, like the Williams sisters (and their mentor parents), whose eyes are on the horizon and beyond. I don’t mean perfectionists and I don’t mean people who are miserable because they aren’t wise enough to be glad they are good at something. There’s a beauty in competence and good performance, and it deserves praise from within and from others too. But please – dream a little. Dream like those two little girls did in Compton, California, practicing before school and after, determined to keep getting better, even while the gangs went on about their business on every side of the court.

So yes, if you walk into our company looking for work, hopefully you’ve been thinking like the Williams sisters. They knew talent wasn’t enough, and through the years they’ve proved that complacency is the enemy.