Playing to Win
Learning to walk the walk and talk the talk to exceed our wildest expectations.
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Talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling.
Bill Belichick
We feel the strongest emotions when there’s a mismatch between expectations and reality.
When we exceed our expectations we feel incredible, but there’s no worse feeling than falling short of our perceived capabilities. If we’re capable of achieving a certain level of performance but can’t reach it, we feel dejected and discouraged.
Avoiding the depressing aftermath of poor performance is just as motivating as chasing the rush of exceeding expectations, and both forces push us to continually improve.
Some folks know they’re talented and hope their skills will propel them forward. Others know how to “play the game” in their chosen pursuit and progress without the same talent as others.
Unfortunately, most of us put all of our eggs in only one of these baskets when we’re pursuing something worthwhile.
Talent and Talk Only Go So Far
Imagine two software engineers. The first, we’ll call her Jen, has worked hard to become extremely talented, but isn’t savvy when it comes to corporate politicking or advocating for herself. The second, we’ll call him Steve, is mediocre, but he knows how to play the corporate ladder like a fiddle.
Jen works hard and produces incredible results that make her undeniably valuable to the organization earning her a promotion.
Steve shows up every day and gets his work done, but he understands what the organization needs and how to position himself well so he earns the same promotion as Jen.
As their careers continue they both plateau. Jen because she hasn’t learned how to “play the game” and Steve because no matter how well he “plays the game” and talks the talk, he can’t walk the walk.
On their own, skills and “playing the game” can get us very far. Someone who is unbelievably talented will eventually rise to the top and enough smooth talking can lead to the upper echelons of many different pursuits even without any meaningful skills.
Despite this, focusing on only one strategy or the other can only take us so far. To make meaningful progress in worthwhile pursuits we need to develop undeniably valuable skills and learn to “play the game”.
Playing to Win
Balancing these two skill sets is critical to progressing in every worthwhile pursuit.
Authors need to be incredible writers and effectively navigate the complex world of publishing.
Spouses need to love their partner unconditionally and demonstrate it in a way their partner can understand and appreciate.
Athletes need to be the best at their sport and get themselves in front of the right scouts, coaches, and sponsors.
Entrepreneurs need to create a valuable product and find a way to get it in front of the right customers at the right time.
No matter the pursuit we’ll need more than raw talent or suave politicking to excel in our worthwhile pursuits.
It’s tragic to have someone incredibly talented held back by their inability to “play the game” and unfortunate that others can talk their way into meaningful accomplishments with no real skills.
To feel the rush of exceeding our wildest expectations we need a foundation of valuable skills to walk the walk and we need to talk the talk. When we develop undeniably valuable skills and learn to advocate for ourselves we’re not just “playing the game”, we’re playing to win.
Prompts
What’s your strength? Skills or “playing the game”?
What’s more important in each of your worthwhile pursuits? Skills or “playing the game”?
What does playing to win look like for your most important pursuit?
Deep Dive
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
A guide to creating a rewarding career by building valuable skills and “playing the game”.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Kevin