Greatness comes in small steps

Aug 1, 2002 12:00 PM, Larry Anderson

When Ted Williams died last month, it resurrected interest in the baseball legend, and led to the re-publication of the following tribute quoted from John Updike:

“For me, Williams is the classic ballplayer of the game on a hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill.”

It is in such circumstances, when there is no championship at stake or huge crowd on hand, that a lesser player might hold back. In a broader sense for each of us, it is how we react in such circumstances — when the temptation is to give less than our best effort — that truly defines who we are.

The same can be said of the members of a security team, or any team in any business environment for that matter. How much effort do team members give when no one is looking, or when seemingly little is at stake? The difference — the “tissue-thin” difference between doing something well and doing it badly — when extrapolated to take into account the actions of all the various team members — can be immense.

Too few people these days do things well just for the sake of having done so. Too few, in other words, take pride in a job well done.

The challenge is therefore greater than ever for their coaches … er, managers … whose job it is to help them do their best.

When Ted Williams gave his all on a hot August day with hardly anybody in the stands, what did he get for the effort? Two things: He got the satisfaction of doing his job well, and he became a better baseball player for the effort.

His team also benefited from the effort — every member of the team could observe his example and hopefully emulate it. Are there members of your security team who exhibit a strong work ethic? How can you maximize their role as a team leader who inspires by example?

As Updike points out, in the end Williams' greatness came not only from his statistics and game-winning home runs, but in his consistent day-to-day effort to do his best just for the sake of being the best he could be.

It's such effort that defines the “tissue-thin” difference between mediocrity and greatness.

It's an effort that anybody can make. If you can inspire the members of your security team to do their best every day — not just when the game is on the line — then your organization will be as Splendid as the Splinter.

www.securitysolutions.com

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