Michael Jordan:  Widely considered the greatest basketball player ever.

Spectacular skills.  Phenomenal results.

Michael Jordan, playing baseball:  Minor leaguer.  Limited skills.

Spectacularly mediocre.

Don’t believe me?  Look at those stats under the pic … dismal.

So?

We are kind of like Michael Jordan.

Both Michael Jordans.

We each have a unique set of skills and capabilities that allow us to excel.  Truly.

When we’re in our zone … we are superstars in our own rite.

But we also are spectacularly mediocre when we are not playing our game.

And because our ego sometimes gets the better of us, we sometimes can’t pass at the chance to play all the games, others’ games … and inevitably the results are not so great.  And our confidence takes a hit.

I believe a key factor for career success is finding your game and then playing your game.

It could be talking someone off the ledge.  Or drawing out the underlying trends from a sea of statistics.  Or designing a piece of jewelry.  Or planning a convention.  Or solving a customer’s technical issue.  Or creating a compelling proposal.  Or QA testing a new software release.  Or …

Find your game then play your game.

Don’t play others’ games!

I would not want to face Michael Jordan on the basketball court.

No way.

(Stop picturing what that would look like.)

But send me and him to diagnose an underperforming organizational culture …

I’d kick his ass.

It would be an OD poster shot!  Picture that!  🙂

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This seems so blatantly obvious! you say?  Common sense?

Common sense is not common practice.

Besides; finding our game sometimes takes a whole lot of effort and a whole lot of time.

But when we do … the trash talkin’ will be justified.

Play your game!