I promise this is the last post with a football analogy (for a while at least).
My son got into his head the other day before his game because he heard there would be recruiters at the game. We had a whole conversation with him (not the first time) about what, if any, impact this should have on his game play.
We were reminding him that if he plays with recruiters in his mind, not only will his game be terrible, but the recruiters will see that and that's two bad results.
Ironically, if he obsessively focuses on playing ‘his’ game which he has childlike love, passion, and excitement for, he will not only have a great game, but if there are recruiters present, they will see.
I’ve had a similar conversation in business with clients and employees many times. I need to be reminding myself of this, too. It goes something like this:
If you build a product with only sales revenue in mind, the product will likely suffer from a quality or sustainability perspective, and you’ll constantly be chasing sales to replenish your retention losses…
…But if you build a product where you obsessively focus on solving a problem and considering quality, etc., the sales will come. And stay.
If you build a business solely seeking investment with only top line revenue in mind, the bottom will eventually fall out and any investors that you do secure will end up being unhappy…
…But if you obsessively focus on building a sustainable, efficient business, the investors will see & come (or you’ll mess around and grow organically and not need investors)...
If you’re in sales and you only chase the ‘big’ deals and the whales of clients, they will take forever to close (if ever) and you’ll miss genuine opportunities to connect with smaller prospects who will eventually help you build a decent book…
…But if you obsessively focus on finding the ‘right’ prospects and avoid the tendency to only chase the glamorous deals, you’ll close business, grow in your knowledge and experience, build a block, and big glamorous deals will likely come eventually (but will be a pleasant surprise).
I’m reminded of a philosopher, Marcus Aurelius and his writings in his work, "Meditations". The following excerpt is from Book IV, #20 (written around C.E. 171-175):
“Whatever is beautiful at all is beautiful in itself. Its beauty ends there, and praise has no part in it. Nothing is the better or the worse for being praised; and this holds also of what is beautiful in the common estimation: of material forms and works of art. Thus true beauty needs nothing beyond itself, any more than law, or truth, or kindness, or honour. For none of these gets a single grace from praise or one blot from censure. Does the emerald lose its virtue if one praise it not? Can one by scanting praise depreciate gold, ivory, or purple, a lyre or a dagger, a flower or a shrub?”
I struggle with this too.
What does praise get us? If we are concerned with the praise, do we distract ourselves from the ‘thing’.
If we focus on the ‘thing’, doesn’t praise usually come?
Granted, it might take longer but it will come.
In the meantime, the emerald is still an emerald.
Spoiler alert- he had a great game and doesn’t know if any recruiters were there.
(I almost attached film again- holler if you want to see & thanks to everyone who texted/messaged/emailed me about him!)
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