Being the Best I Can Be

On the occasion of the release of a new biography about UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who many believe to be the best American coach of any sport, NPR presented a piece about the legendary coach.  During the segment, a clip of an interview with Wooden before his death was played.  In it, the coach, who had himself been an All-American, described his father's teachings to him and his brothers.

"He always told us to never try to be better than someone else. Just be the best you can be--to never cease trying to be the best you can be."  Interestingly enough, Wooden took this advice about not trying to be better than someone else and turned it into 10 national championships.  Those around him said that the coach never even talked about winning, which would imply being better than others, but instead he always encouraged his players to focus on being the best they could be...to the finest detail.  Apparently, when each was being his best (it was men's basketball,) the winning took care of itself.

I've had many days, maybe even most days, in my career when I knew I'd been at my best.  I loved my work and was energized by it.  At the end of the day, I had more energy than I did at the beginning.  Sadly, it seems that more often than not in the last year or two, I've found myself doing work that was "OK."  Some clients really inspire me, and on those days, I do hit home runs. Right now, I am working with several delightful leaders. There are many days in between. 

What is the difference?  In Wooden's case, he truly wanted more than anything for each of his players to be their very best.  I can only imagine that if he had been ho-hum about encouraging them, that they would have produced mediocre teams with players who had unrealized star potential.

More often than not, I feel like the hierarchy above me feels duty-bound to make my life difficult.  Instead of helping me provide the very best for my clients, I often feel like I put on a straight jacket when I arrive at work.  What I do for my clients is in spite of my leadership and not because of it.  It exhausts me.

I have the excellence gene.  I want to give the very best.  I love making a positive impact on client groups.  I have star potential.  How do I be the very best I can be in an environment in which our leaders feel it their duty to make life difficult for me and my colleagues?  This is a question that I've pondered it a lot.

A few months ago I decided, like Wooden's father encouraged his sons, "...to never cease trying to be the best you can be."  It has been very clear to me that my job is how I earn money to pay the bills.  I achieve my potential and make a contribution in other ways.  That is my right and duty. 

I am not sure exactly how this plays out, but in September when I decided to begin writing daily posts to this blog, it felt like a reclaimed a small piece of my potential.  Last weekend when I began working on a new book, I salvaged another small piece.  This weekend I will write a proposal to present at a conference on innovation, the topic of my graduate research.  Yet one more piece recovered. When I get The Game Called Life out as an e-book, I will get back even more.

Wooden is said to have so focused on excellence that he even insisted that how the players put on their shoes was important to their being their best. Being my best can't be limited to my work: it is about how I live every bit of my life, even to the fine details.  When I win the battle with sugar, I am being the best I can be. When I exercise and meditate every day, I am trying to be the best I can be.    When I bring a level of attention to my intention to be the best I can be, I make it happen, just as Wooden led his teams to 10 national championships without ever talking about winning.

When a chick is about to be born from an egg, it must peck and peck to try to break through the shell and then struggle hard to make its way out into the world.  It is the very process of struggling to break through that strengthens the lungs of the chick so that it can sustain life out of the egg.  If a well-meaning person attempts to assist the process, making it easier, the chick will most likely die because it has not achieved the strength to survive. 

While I often come home worn out by the wars at work, and I often think I will never defeat my cravings for sugar, I wonder if these struggles to be the best I can be are not the very experiences that will make me strong enough to survive outside the confines of employment.  That gives me encouragement, but I have no way of knowing for sure...yet.  What I am certain about is that, like Wooden's father taught his kids, I can never cease trying to be the best I can be.