Don’t Be Seduced by Your Track Record!

John Kotter (2012), change leadership guru, can be credited with the above profound piece of advice. It hits home. When I was a teenager, I thought I was good enough to write for the Miami Herald because I was scheduled to take an Advanced Vocabulary class during my senior year, and I had gotten A's in all of my literature-related classes. Pumped up is what I was, thinking to myself, 'ah yeah, as soon as the Herald interviews me, they will recognize my superior talents as a writer'. Well, I did get an interview, and actually got a job with them--as a clerk typist in the Customer Service Department! My A's meant nothing, my perfect attendance meant nothing, and my anticipated advanced vocabulary class meant nothing! The Herald was looking for someone who could actually WRITE! They were looking for someone who could research a story line and create a feature article. They were NOT looking for me! In the infinite wisdom of my father, "someone who has got something is not looking for someone who has got nothing". So, I was not their choice. I learned from that lesson that just because something might go well the first time, the second time, the third time, does not guarantee that it will the fourth time. In other words, we cannot afford to get comfortable thinking that what we bring to the table is good enough (Collins, 2015). Sometimes it will be, sometimes it won't be! A major key to success is to persevere, doing your best at all times because THAT is greatness! And, greatness demands leadership. And, leadership demands not getting seduced by your track record. Keep it moving!

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great. Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.

Kotter, J. (2012). Leading change. Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press.