Menu
“Doing your best is more important than being the best.”
– Zig Ziglar
Ireland kicked off their Rugby World Cup with an impressive win over Scotland on Sunday.
During the game one of the TV commentators made an interesting comment:
“The Irish players were more focused on doing their jobs rather than just doing their best and that’s why they’re winning.”
It’s an interesting distinction and you could say that it almost contradicts the above quote by Zig Ziglar.
Doing your best is a phrase I’ve often heard.
“I’m doing my best, what more do you expect?”
In a team or organisational context, it’s about achieving what’s expected from your job or role – be it the CEO or the janitor.
Yet often, many smart people do their ‘best’ without any clarity on what are the top outcomes expected from them are and how their success is to be measured.
I’m not saying your best doesn’t matter – clearly it does.
But the comment from the TV commentator also has a vital truth – you need to know what you’re supposed to be doing! Otherwise you’re wasting time and potential.
Before you activate your best, it’s vital to ask yourself these questions:
– What does success in my job look like?
– What are the expectations on me?
– How will success be measured?
People talk endlessly about high performance without really understanding what it actually looks like.
Let’s get the basics in place first.
Where can you apply the above questions this week?
Best,
Shane
