Prince's Diamonds & Pearls #163

The Mindset of Greatness

No matter how talented you are, you can’t cheat the work!

To become your best self, no matter the craft, you can’t cheat the work. There is a process to becoming great at anything. It requires time, intention, and discipline. It demands an unreasonable commitment. It is not for the faint-hearted, as there is no shortcut to the top of the mountain.

Here are some ways to ensure that you don’t cheat the work:

1. The Choice

Former Alabama Football Coach, Nick Saban, discussed the 5 choices we all have in life. “We can be Bad at what we do. We can be Average at what we do. We can even be Good at what we do, which is life’s expectation for whatever ability given to us. Or we can be Excellent, or we can be Elite.”

Everyone has a choice at what they do and how they do it. Yet to be Excellent or Elite, we must do special things. There needs to be special intensity, focus, commitment, drive, and passion to execute at a high level and high standard all the time. It doesn’t matter what inherent ability that you have, that alone merely makes you good. Without the special components, you won’t reach excellent or elite.

2. Never Done. Always Better

University of Georgia football coach, Kirby Smart, has won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. He knew that the Bulldogs biggest opponent in 2023 would be the threat of Entitlement. The very next morning after winning their 2nd consecutive national championship, Kirby Smart is quoted saying, “Start thinking about the next one. I do think it’s going to be much tougher. And I think we’ll have to reinvent ourselves next year because we can’t just stay the same…The disease that creeps into your program is called Entitlement.”

This is why great organizations fail. Entitlement destroys them. Complacency is the enemy. 88% of Fortune 500 companies in 1955 are no longer around. They’re either out of business or have been acquired. Great companies in recent history have gone bankrupt. Companies such as Blockbuster, Circuit City, Borders, RadioShack, ToysRUs, Polaroid, and Compaq reach championship levels but then eventually failed.

As leaders, our challenge is equipping our teammates to sustain championship level success. To do so, we must stay hungry and humble. We can always improve. We’re never above the work. We’re never entitled to success. Human nature assumes that success will continue, and this is far from the truth. Everything must be earned all the time.

3. Consistency

This is where “The Rubber Meets the Road”. It’s what separates the good from the great, and the great from the elite. Consistency is the invisible thread that binds all high performers in sports, business, or any endeavor in life. It is the one thing that can’t be compromised.

Imagine attending training and conferences outside of work because you were invested in your own personal development. Imagine going to the gym at 4am, while the rest of the world still sleeps. Imagine doing random acts of kindness to your significant other, just because you wanted them to be aware of your appreciation of them. Imagine studying operating procedures late into the night to draw out new ways of increased reliability or enhanced utilization. That’s consistency. It’s doing what needs to be done, day in and day out, REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU FEEL and REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY SUCCESSES YOU HAVE ALREADY WON.

Consistency isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t make headlines, but it is the backbone of success. It is the “secret sauce” that all high performers understand and apply. They don’t seek the quick fix or the shortcut. They understand that success is a marathon and not a sprint. And that the only way to get to the finish line is to place one foot in front of the other, consistently.

a) This week I strained my shoulder being too aggressive with my strength training. A colleague of mine, who’s prepping me for a triathlon, excused me from my swim drills this week. However, she emphasized that I was still to remain active during my recovery by walking and to return to the pool in a week.

b) In January I completed my 6th full marathon, and I must admit that lofty emotions began to rise within me. Complacency was beginning to creep in. My coach, who’s ran 47 full marathons, two of which were ran after a knee replacement, keeps me humbled. Each time we speak, her questions are “How’s your running?”, “What event are you signed up for?”, and “When are you going to sign up for a running camp?”

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being consistent and showing up day after day and putting in the work. Champions don’t let allow their feelings to dictate their actions. They let their commitments to their goals dictate their actions.

So team, name something that you can do to take up your mindset a notch. Honestly, what areas in your life are you frustrated with because you’re trying to cheat the work? What will you change this week, today? Share in the comments below.

“I don’t care how good you are in anything. If you don’t have discipline, you ain’t nobody. You’re nothing without discipline because you give up under the slightest struggle without discipline. Discipline is doing what you hate to do but do it like you love it!” – Mike Tyson

References: The Mindset of Greatness by Darren Hardy