Excellence is defined as: The state or condition of excelling; superiority.
I recently took my youngest son to a basketball game to see LeBron James. During the game, I noticed several things. LeBron has the superstar magic. When he’s on the floor, it’s hard not to watch him. He’s also a team player. There were several times during the game when he could have taken a shot, but he passed the ball to a teammate. The most interesting thing was watching him when he was on the bench. He was totally focused on what was happing in the game. He also was the most enthusiastic player on the bench. When someone came out of the game, he was the first one to greet them with words of encouragement. It didn’t matter if he was in the game playing; he was “All In.”
It occurred to me that being excellent is performing when the camera is not on you and you’re on the bench.
Excellence is a state of mind. I tell the band members, “The audience is watching you even when you’re off the stage not performing. They are still watching you. Even if you’re on the bench, you have to stay focused and stay in the game.”
I realize our show starts when we arrive at the venue, and doesn’t end until we leave. Being excellent for that long is a challenge, but it’s important.
In every aspect of my life, I have room for improvement. When I get to witness excellence like that of LeBron James, it reminds me how much work I have to do. I encourage you to look at your own life and your work, what can you do to acheive more excellence?
Although our Atlanta Hawks led most of the game I saw against Cleveland, there was a point in the third quarter when LeBron James took control and they beat us pretty good. While I was disappointed we lost the game, I was glad I got to see one of the greats – And that was Excellent!
Dennis
