July 07, 2024 | Read Online
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How's your summer going? Mine... is hot, down here in Charleston, SC where Jeff and I are based.
In today's edition I hope you don't mind a little diversion from the usual tactical and strategic SaaS content. Instead I want to share the story of an inspiring leader with you.
Let's dive in...
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I'm writing this on July 4th, 2024. American Independence Day. It also happens to be the 85th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s final game with the NY Yankees.
photo credit: als.org
Tragically, Gehrig died only two years later of ALS, a disease that would come to bear his name ("Lou Gehrig's Disease"). But his legacy as a baseball player lives on to this day.
Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games. Through broken bones, blows to the head (before batter's helmets were a thing), despite a grueling travel schedule by train and bus, and even as ALS began to ravage his body.
By the numbers, he was every bit as good as his legendary teammate, Babe Ruth. Maybe better. Ruth struck out twice as often as Gehrig did.
Gehrig did it through sheer will, discipline, and consistency. He loved the game and never missed an opportunity to play. He showed up, time again when his status as a star or injuries could have afforded him a break.
He was once struck in the head by a pitch that knocked him unconscious for five minutes after which he was taken to the hospital. The next day he showed up ready to play and hit three triples.
I’m not a baseball fan.
But I’ve begun to study and appreciate what it takes to become excellent at anything—athletics, music, theater and acting, business, research, etc. Not to mention being a good spouse, parent, friend, and colleague.
For this reason, Gehrig’s story touches and inspires me.
No matter what company you work for, or what functional role you play—sales, customer success, product, engineering or whatever—I have a few simple questions for you:
Do you love the game you're playing?
Are you willing to invest extra time to master it?
Do you think about how to get better at it, even when you're not doing it?
Do you replay your decisions and conversations with your colleagues to determine how you could improve on the next time?
Do you accept feedback?
Do you show up, every single day to practice your craft?
You say you love what you do. Where’s your proof? What kind of streak do you have to show for it?
- Ryan Holiday, Discipline is Destiny
The older I get, the more I realize consistency is the key to excellence. Picking one thing and focusing on it relentlessly over a prolonged period of time. I wish I had realized this 25 years ago, but hey, I have a lot of life in front of me, God-willing (🤞).
In business, the results of your work are often not as public as those of a professional athlete. But they are visible to someone. Your family, your colleagues, and yourself.
No matter your goals—even if you don’t have clear goals yet—consistent, disciplined practice of your craft will move you closer to your destiny.
We are all seeking success in one form or another. Whether your version of success is sipping Mai Tais on a beach somewhere, spending more time with your family, or becoming a c-level business executive, you don’t get there by wishing, striving, or jumping the line.
You succeed through disciplined development of your chosen craft.
What’s your thing?
Your craft?
And what are you doing every day to get just a little better at it?
🤘
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