Your Wins Have a Shelf Life

I'm convinced more and more every day that I have the best job in the world. I get to support a CEO that's not just highly capable but possesses a strong sense of integrity. But even more so, I get to interact with and guide some of the most talented people I've ever had the opportunity to spend time with in a work environment. I'd say that the number of super smart and highly capable people I work with is the highest concentration I've ever experienced.

If and when you are fortunate enough to work in environments like this, it's such an opportunity. I can pick up little tidbits that help me immensely after I absorb and practice them. One detail I've noticed recently: the most successful people I work with look at "wins" quite differently than those who are still trying to find their next wave.

Winning is a Moment

When Julien Smith and I were told we'd earned a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list, I called him up. I said, "Hey, do YOU feel any different?" He said no. "I thought it'd be harder," he said. This was our first book, so we didn't know. I've since published 8 more and never once hit another bestseller list besides Amazon, so I guess it was harder than I thought.

However, we both realized that winning was just a moment. It's a point in time. Like I just said, my win with that book did NOT transfer to my subsequent books.

I see this at work a lot, too. Moving from just over 100 employees to over 800, taking our revenue from 10 million to 100, then 100 to 200 million in ARR in rather short order was a win. We celebrated. And then we set our sights on a new target.

Winning is just a moment.

Racking Up NEW Wins is the Target

Yesterday, I spoke to at least three people who I think of as top talent. What's interesting in all cases was that they talked about their next plan of attack. They were laying out the next adventure, not reflecting back on what victories they'd had. That's something I've noticed. They hit their peak. They celebrate briefly. They move on to the next win.

And it doesn't have to be huge wins. That's the other part I think people get wrong. One thing I share in common with my boss is that we both loved the movie Moneyball. (Book's swell, but the movie was well done.) Here's the scene we quote the most:

You don't have to know baseball. You have to appreciate the concept. Brad Pitt (acting as Billy Beane) is telling a roomful of "old school" talent scouts that the mathematic way that Jonah Hill (playing Peter Brand) is recommending is THE way.

Home runs don't matter. Their fielding and other stats don't matter. Even if they get hit with the ball when up to bad, that's actually a plus. Why? "They get on base."

My people who win don't shoot for home runs. They get on base. And professionally what I mean is that they execute, they do, they make things happen. Not just "do your basic job," but take swings and "get on base" with things that advance the organization's success.

Self Awareness Helps

I don't know how to bring this up. Out in the world, there are plenty of false winners. They beat their chest and proclaim their wins. They're arrogant. They tell anyone who listens what makes them winners. It's minimal how many times those people actually overlap with anyone else's perception of winning.

In a few fields (precious few), a professional arrogance might be expected. I can tell you that all of our winners in the company where I work right now (including my very very successful CEO) are not arrogant. They're humble. They learn. They never stop learning. They reach out. They participate. They collaborate. They raise others up. They showcase everyone around them.

It's hard to be the person who wins repeatedly without a strong sense of self awareness. This goes back to my point that the people who rack up wins are the ones who don't reflect much on their past victories. (I write some of these sentences to remind myself, by the way.)

Winning Doesn't Mean Working Stupid Hours

Some other places mistake "lots of hours on the job" with what drives success. I view my success as when I have the fewest meetings scheduled on my calendar. Meeting time isn't work time. Other places think that if you're willing to skip supper with your family, you're the right kind of person.

Not true. My most successful people have strong boundaries and know how to parse their time. I think we all have to do something outside the normal hours of work occasionally, but that's the key word there.

Some people get this wrong. It's a pity. Sure, we all have a fast deadline sometimes, but if that's a regular occurrence, something's probably set up wrong.

Stop Doing Everything

Oh. One other detail. The folks I have noticed who win are great at the one thing they do. Taking on a dozen projects isn't a path to winning. Taking on three and doing them well gives you a better chance. If you've got just one project, one role, one area of function, awesome.

"Everything" is too big and it doesn't fit easily in a backpack. No one gets a trophy for doing everything, except Michelle Yeoh.

Instead, find ways to deliver your talents to a project where you can collaborate with people doing important work. We ALL have that opportunity.

And if you win, give yourself five or so minutes to celebrate. Then? Get back to it.

Hooray!

Chris...