On My Mind: Achieving Greatness
Even if you're not an avid golfer, I'm sure you have heard something about Tiger Woods' record setting week at the U.S.
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Even if you're not an avid golfer, I'm sure you have heard something about Tiger Woods' record setting week at the U.S. Open in June. As an avid golfer, I was completely amazed at how much better Tiger played than everyone else. In the days following his demolition of century-old records and his fellow playing competitors, I began thinking about how Tiger reached this level of greatness.
Setting Goals
Most people know the importance of setting goals. So, why should we focus on Tiger's goal setting? Because when Tiger sets a goal, he never wavers from it. Every statement he makes reaffirms that goal in his mind. However, many of us don’t do this. My goal might be to write the best article that has ever been printed in PF. But, if I follow that goal statement with “as long as I try my best I’ll be happy,” I’ve already set myself up for failure. My real goal is to try my best, not write the best article ever in PF.
Have a Plan
To achieve greatness, Tiger had to develop and execute a plan that would enable him to meet his goals. It’s not on talent alone that Tiger has become the best golfer in the world. He sees a sports psychologist, practices ungodly hours every day, goes through a strenuous workout program and works with an instructor who understands his game and helps him improve his swing. Your plan must involve every aspect of the finishing process. If it’s your goal to produce the highest quality parts, you can’t just develop a plan to have the best finishing system. You need to develop plans for proper training for the operators, for motivation of employees to meet the quality standard, for selling your services, etc.
Determination
If there is one thing that Tiger has over everyone else, it’s determination. He won’t let anything distract him. Many of us have set goals and developed a sound plan, but we lack the determination to follow through with it after a few little hiccups. This is probably the most difficult part in achieving greatness, but perhaps the most important.
There are quite a few people in our industry who have achieved greatness. If you haven’t reached that level yet, study them closely and you just might join them.
