“There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one's maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.”
Buck Rodgers (Former American Baseball Player and Manager) b. 1938
I found this quote while researching ideas on defining a company's (though it can and should be done personally as well) Values, Purpose (Mission) and Vision.
The quote is appropriate for me since I went to see the movie "Moneyball" last night. "Moneyball" is an excellent movie about achieving greatness even when everyone else thinks you are wrong. It is about having the courage of your convictions and living your life according to your values.
The premise of "Moneyball" is that you should look at talent objectively vs subjectively. The movie starts with grizzled old baseball scouts talking about choosing their next players and describing them in terms like, "sweet swing, pretty face, coming along and ugly girl friend". All very subjective, non-quantifiable terms.
Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, has heard this all before. He decided to go in a new direction, only looking at a players performance, such as getting on base, in relation to achieving the teams objectives, scoring runs. The old scouts were afraid that their jobs were in jeopardy. They were.
The same methods used in "Moneyball" are available in the business world; psychometric assessments and structured behavioral interviews. These tools combined with Key Accountabilities (very specific role objectives) and Job Benchmarks (job fit) allow managers to objectively choose the best person for the job. The result is higher performance, easier manageability and the metrics to prove it.
~Eric
