The Milton Report
Exceeding Expectations-The Evolution of Excellence
December 11, 2009
Volume 14: issue 2
“Players are not paid to play. They are paid to WIN.”
– Marcus Allen, Hall of Fame Professional Football Player
“You play to WIN the game.”
-Herman Edwards, Former Professional Football Coach, ESPN Analyst
I have followed sports closely for most of my childhood starting around the age of eight years old and all of my adult life. I had never heard anyone, athlete or coach, talk about being paid to win. The expectation was that you would play. Winning was the potential outcome of playing. The expectation was that you would give your best effort and the results would follow. I heard Marcus Allen’s quote on a sports talk radio show recently. It came approximately seven years after Herman Edwards’ famous quote. Forty plus years of following sports and I actually heard someone suggest that the expectation for pay was winning. Simply playing (as a professional athlete) was unacceptable. I was reminded of something I heard during my tenure at Enron in the late 90’s. My manager at the time told me that I would not get paid for a heroic effort. That is, getting paid to work hard. I would get paid to produce results. That stuck with me. The expectation was clear and the Enron culture fostered a performance based mindset. It was then that I realized the importance of understanding the expectations of those who seek and pay for your services.
Exceeding expectations is more than showing up daily and being on time for work.
Winning the game is the performance standard for excellence in sports. The objective is simple. If you win and win consistently, you exceed expectations. If you lose and lose consistently, you are out of a job or a position. The only exception to this might be the owner of a professional sports franchise. If the franchise is a perennial loser, the owner may go out of business. Winning keeps fans in the seats. Again, there are exceptions but those owners can afford to take the financial hit.
Professional sports and business in America share some similarities when it comes to the evaluation of performance. Professional sports teams have to appease a fan base that contributes to their revenue in the form of ticket and merchandise sales. Businesses have to satisfy its shareholders, partners, and boards of directors. If the company is publicly owned, the stock price must be stable or on the incline. If the company is privately owned, profits must increase and the balance sheet should stay in the black. Whether public or private, revenue must increase and profit projections must be met. Otherwise, people lose jobs and a premium is placed on retaining those who perform at the highest levels AND contribute positively to the bottom line results.
Athletes who don’t perform get cut. Employees who don’t perform get laid off or fired, whichever term makes you feel better. The common factor is that the consequences are based on the actions and consequences of a performance based culture. When you perform well, you get paid (sometimes well). When you don’t perform well, the wallet or purse will be a bit lighter.
The world of professional sports is one that most Americans can only embrace from its exterior. Many people live vicariously through athletes who perform at a level he or she could only dream of at best. Appreciation for the accomplishments of professional athletes is demonstrated by the attendance figures at sporting events. America loves sport. I would estimate that the major sports in America – baseball, basketball, football, and hockey are comprised of players representing the top 1% in their respective fields, if not less. It is the minority group of all minority groups. Even MENSA, which is an organization for bright people, requires that you have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population. It is the uniqueness of ability and talent that is demonstrated on the playing fields, courts and in arenas that people embrace and pay money to witness. Professional athletes do not have a reputation for being MENSA candidates, as it is their athletic prowess that entertains and is expected by the masses. However, one will find that there are athletes who are very intelligent. Exceptions do exist. When I heard the words of Marcus Allen, I realized immediately the strong correlation between his words and what is expected in the workplace in the new millennium.
There is something else that occurs, particularly among fans supporting team sports. They pay money to see their teams perform. Fans want to be entertained and see things that are beyond their natural ability and talent. Fans want to see the extraordinary. Fans also want to see their teams win. If Marcus Allen and Herman Edwards are correct, fans pay to see their teams win. One might suggest that those who support team sports are similar in objective to a shareholder in a corporation.
Workers are not paid to come to work. They are paid to ACCOMPLISH things.
When workers accomplish things, the results are part of a long chain of events that contribute to profits. Accomplishment in business usually means profits. Profits are how shareholders measure the performance of a company and its workers. Exceeding expectations and being excellent means contributing to profits from the perspective of the stakeholders in business. Excellence is not often associated solely with working hard or in sports with playing hard.
The road to excellence is a journey that means understanding and mastering several things. Organizational culture, management expectations, company or departmental vision, client requirements, and peer relationships are all part of the journey. If these areas are not understood to the extent that the right actions result, the ability to accomplish things will be minimized. Lack of accomplishment will lead to lack of a job. The longer you find yourself “just doing your job”, the more quickly you will find yourself in the unemployment line. Employers are seeking more in an age of global competition and global talent. You must be like the professional athlete who is paid to win. You must accomplish things to get paid, rather than just doing a job.
Exceeding expectations starts with fully understanding the expectation. I will explore five key areas in the coming months that can contribute to one’s understanding the evolution of excellence. Stay tuned.
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“It is calming to know that when the final trumpet sounds,
My life will not have ended in vain.
I will run out of time before I run out of words. God has given me the gift of my thoughts.
He has given me the gift of the pen.
I need to use them both to show His will does win….” 1
(1) Excerpt from the poem “ The Things That Matter” –
Included in Voices Inside My Head – Poetry Inspired By God To Heal Pain
Copyright © 2009 Milton A. Brown
1 comment:
After thinking about the subject of winning some more, I actually remembered hearing Vince Lombardi talk about winning being "the only thing." I think the quote was, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." That statement would have been the closest thing I heard to players being paid to win. I guess because Vince Lombardi's popularity preceded my introduction to sports, it was not a quote that came to me immediately.
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