Quietly Becoming . . .
Jim Fox, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Driven to deliver employee experience and customer success strategies at the intersection of people and technology. Keen on leveraging data and leading cross-functional teams to navigate initiatives and improve results.
I made a commitment to myself and to my wife to enjoy some football last weekend without my computer on my lap. It did not stop me from thinking about work. If you read much of what I write, you know that I relate much of sports and pop-culture to work.
I’m not alone. Check out Kris Dunn’s perspective on the JOKER movie – “The story is about you and me, and the lost opportunities that are everywhere around us.”
Kris is a champion – a consistent performer, sharer and supporter of others. Someone who puts his words . . . where people can read them.
What I got out of the Ohio State Wisconsin game was a less dark commentary on our nature. At some point in the telecast, an announcer said, “JK Dobbins is quietly becoming one of the top running backs in Ohio State’s history.” Maybe it’s not a quote, but it reflects what I heard. In an industry filled with hype, he was ‘quietly becoming’ . . . to me this meant that his focus is on consistently performing in a way reflective of his abilities and potential.
The same could not be said last year. He is quoted in an August 18, 2019 AP article I found in The Detroit News saying “I just feel like I’m the best running back in the nation, and I want to prove that,” the 20-year-old junior said. He put a stake in the ground and challenged himself. “I didn’t last year, and I have a chip on my shoulder because I know I can do better.” So he took action in the offseason - cutting his body fat by 4% while maintaining his body weight. (same AP article)
Quietly becoming. . . the first Ohio State player to ever rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. He doesn't do it alone. The AP article also quotes Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson as saying, “To me, running is a group effort, and our group [last year] was good, just not as good as it needs to be.”
On Sunday’s "Fox NFL Sunday” show, Terry Bradshaw, four-time Superbowl Champ, said that he was a washout before being surrounded by the likes of Rocky Bleier, Franko Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth . . . again not a quote and I know that I missed names, but here is a four-time Superbowl champ eluding to being a failure without others who complimented and supported his efforts. Bradshaw worked hard but he was not alone and he knew it.
So what!?! Well, all of this meant, like a good sermon, three things to me.
- High performance is richer, more fulfilling than hype. Humility can propel you to champion status.
- Champions challenge themselves, commit to their potential, rely on others.
- Great leaders know the power of team and their responsibility to recognize, encourage, challenge, and to complement individuals’ strengths.
I am reminded of the value of diverse strengths on teams. I have heard several times in the last few weeks that the best individual experts are less accurate in their predictions than diverse teams without the same level of expertise. Not new information - humbling for #1s. Critical insight for those who recognize they need to be surrounded by people with complementary strengths and that their greatness alone won’t make them champions.
It’s not enough to feel like the best, you have to prove it – through individual effort and teamwork. With that and any luck at all, “your performance will,” as Ralph Waldo Emerson said(ish), “speak so loudly that you won’t need to say a word” and quietly become!