| Encourage People To Be Better At What They Are Already Good |
| Thursday, 12 August 2010 13:10 |
Encourage People To Be Better At What They Are Already GoodA freshman athlete in the local high school is a natural at baseball. He has an amazing swing, lightning fast reflexes and he plays well as part of a team. But there’s a bit of an issue -- he’s not a very strong swimmer. He doesn’t enjoy the solitary nature of the sport; it’s just him and the water. His turns are slow and his stroke is sloppy. He’s decent enough, but he will have to train very, very hard if he’s going to be a real competitor. Why is his swimming ability a problem, you ask? While in high school, he’s hoping to improve as an athlete so he can earn a scholarship for college. What should he do? More importantly, what should his coaches do? It’s so obvious; it’s almost a ridiculous scenario. The young athlete should focus on strength building. His coaches know they can more easily make a star baseball player out of him, so they will encourage him to quit swimming and focus all his time and energy on baseball. It’s so obvious, yet for some reason, we do the opposite at work. By Simon Sinek |
