Most of us live in the middle of a bell-shaped curve for much of what we do in a lifetime. We think of words like average, normal, or maybe even mediocre. As I told someone just today, it is very possible to be mediocre and still win. In fact, over the years, some of the best teams I've been associated with have just been average. But, and this is important, in a normal distribution there are the parts of the population on either end of the distribution. They are "out in the tails." This means in the normal distribution, they are either very good at something, or on the other end, really poor at something. With the Olympic trials going on, we have gotten to witness performances which are at the "really good" end of the spectrum. Like so many other times, thinking about this brings other things to mind for me.
We often focus on athletic events and performances when we think of excellence, but I think it is way too narrow a view. I have been fortunate in my lifetime to know people who were "in the tails" in part of their life. This may have bee around intelligence, or the ability to work with metal; this could have been someone who was a tremendous mechanic, or someone who was a great caregiver. There are so many times and ways people show themselves with portions of their lives which are just way above the norm, but we rarely recognize the fact there is excellence going on here. Maybe a couple of examples would help.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to sponsor a Pro-Am golf event. As part of the event, I spent time with the professionals on the driving range as they loosened up. At one point, one of them was working on doing a particular thing with the ball, a fade or a draw, I don't remember which. I asked how they could accomplish what they were doing with a golf ball. To my amazement, I was told when they watched the club meet the ball, they made sure the club hit in the correct quadrant. They were of course saying this to someone who would be happy just having the club and the ball meet. This was obviously someone not in the center of the normal distribution.
Another example from the same time was a gentleman I knew who was a bulldozer operator. In his life, his wife ran virtually everything, money, planning, almost everything as he just could not. But if you put him in the middle of a blank piece of ground and told him you wanted a certain project accomplished, he could estimate in his head, the number of cubic yards of dirt needing moved, and how long it would take. His degree of accuracy was uncanny. In that part of his life, his ability was way "out in the tail" of the distribution.
You may wonder exactly what I am trying to get at. What I am suggesting is in a time when the world seems to be very angry and aggressive about so many things, maybe it makes sense to recognize, and maybe even call out people who have skills way beyond the normal. Maybe you know someone who makes the best custard pie you have ever tasted (my Grandma Jo, BTW), take time to tell them. Maybe you know someone who can get the seams of a quilt to come together like nobody you have ever seen. Tell them.
We have the ability to recognize people for their accomplishments and almost everyone has something they do better than the norm. We can't all be Olympic stars, or music celebrities, but maybe you know someone who can plan an outing for you and friends like none other. We actually had the opportunity to experience this skill a few weeks ago in Minnesota. We were celebrating my daughter's graduation from law school and had friends that took it upon themselves to help us with the celebration. Without question, the ability they brought to food and drink was nothing short of a five star experience. Even my sister commented on the level of care they had shown. There was no question as to the level of excellence. Thanks to Jim, Jody, and Doug.
Take time to recognize the skill. Watch the Olympic hopefuls and think about family and friends and the skills they have. Tell them you see their abilities and the excellence they show.
I hope you all have a great weekend and I hope you are willing and able to make someone else's weekend better. Take care of yourself and those around you.
