In Search of Greatness

I recently took an early morning flight and lucky for me, the plane's WiFi wasn't working. Typically if I'm on a flight that has WiFi, I jump on my laptop, put my head down, and work from takeoff to touchdown.

On this day, however, that wasn't an option. Instead I settled in to catch what might be the most valuable documentary I've ever seen -- "In Search of Greatness."

IMDB describes In Search of Greatness as: Through the eyes of the greatest athletes of all time, IN SEARCH OF GREATNESS is a cinematic journey into the secrets of genius.

What I learned (and what I think any of us who aspires to greatness in our own field can learn from this) -- and what I want to share with you -- is that the world's greatest athletes became great, and in many instances remained at the top of their respective games because of these 20 characteristics.

Natural affinity: It wasn't forced. They had a natural affinity for the work. From practice to games, they loved the work so much that they over-invested their time, effort, and energy on a regular basis to improve their skills.

Question whether there are better ways: Unlike the average players, they never accepted that there was just one way to win. They constantly looked for new and different approaches to achieve success in their sport.

Shift paradigms: They didn't give up when they hit walls. Instead of accepting setback or failure, they just redefined what success looked like and then moved in the direction to achieve it.

Focus on creative solutions not standard processes: It's not that they broke all the rules, but they certainly thrived by figuring out what worked best for them and then doubling down on that.

Be disciplined: Jerry Rice tells a story about never being late. In his 20 years of play, he was only ever late to ONE practice. This is the kind of discipline that defines success.

Embrace intuitive thinking: They didn't endeavor to overcomplicate anything. They focused on the things that were naturally easy to comprehend, then exploited those aggressively to maximize their success.

Economize movement: Elite athletes don't waste energy and effort. In fact, they structure their behaviors to minimize effort and maximize impact.

Go to the next place you need to be before you arrive you were initially headed: Elite athletes are highly successful at visualizing and anticipating what is going to happen on the court or field before it actually happens. This enables them to pivot quickly to get ahead of perceived threats and take advantage of new opportunities.

Ability to pick up disparate information and draw meaning from it: They are experts at capturing small pieces of complex and seemingly disconnected data and using it to understand exactly what's going on across the field at any given point in time.

Practice visualization: They make a habit out of mentally preparing for every step in a game, and seeing in their mind what they expect to happen, how they will react to it, and how they might need to pivot to remain ahead of the competition.

“Rage to master”: For elite athletes, good enough isn't. They are driven to improve their craft, not just to win, but because they don't know any other way to be than to be the best at what they do.

Ability to learn quickly: They can absorb feedback and information quickly, and leverage that to make meaningful change in their behavior to enhance their performance.

They recognize the path created for them: While elite athletes understand that they have worked hard to get where they are, they are keen to give credit where credit is due. Many talk of the influence of parents or that one special coach who helped make their careers possible.

Focus on overcoming adversity along the way to success: Elite athletes are motivated by the end goal. When they lose a game, miss a shot, or face a setback, they don't let it derail them from the ultimate goal they've set out to achieve. They are incredibly resilient.

They embrace risk taking: They know that becoming great at anything requires some level of risk. They will take the long shot from half court, or run into a crowd of defenders to make the great catch, because they know in doing that they stand to achieve success.

They are artists and craftsmen: They take joy in honing their performance. The derive pleasure from the process of improving and knowing that every day they work hard, they're getting just a little bit better than they were the day prior.

They don’t rest until they’ve perfected their craft: Elite athletes are not content with their performance. No matter how good they were yesterday, each play knows that she must continue to perfect her play in order to remain at the top of her game.

They are original thinkers and look for fresh & new ways to solve problems: Those who become top-level players do so in part because they refuse to accept that there's only one path to success. And they approach real-time problem solving from a blue sky point of view.

They challenge their own limitations to overcome weaknesses: Even when their bodies are bruised and their minds are worn out, elite athletes push themselves just a little more because they know in doing so they will continually overcome their weaknesses and achieve even greater successes.

They believe they’re never finished improving: Elite athletes are incredibly humble in this way. They know they are some of the world's greatest players and that they have achieved something that so few ever can. But they also recognize that no matter how great they are, they are never perfect. And for that reason, they continue to chase greatness as a path to ongoing improvement.