I had the opportunity to hear Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripkin, Jr. speak late last week (and obviously, I got to meet him too). He shared the 8 traits that allowed him to become baseball’s Iron Man – playing in over 2,600 consecutive games.
Here are those eight traits:
- The right approach
- A strong will to succeed
- Passion
- Love to compete
- Consistency
- Conviction
- Strength (mental and physical)
- Life Management
These traits are similar to the traits described in his book Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make the Difference These traits clearly apply to far more than baseball. In fact, I could easily write a post about each of them, directly tying them to leadership, but for now, just read the list again, and make your own connections.
Today I want to talk about a point Cal made when discussing The Right Approach. He said, a big part of his approach was, “Be ready to play.”
What does Be ready to play mean to you as a leader?
Here is a short list for you to consider.
- Come to work with the right attitude
- Ecognize that being a leader isn’t easy – be willing to work at it
- Be prepared – for your day, your meetings, your communications, and more.
- Mentally rehearse your important siutations and conversation. Rehearse them going successfully.
- Eat right.
- Exercise.
- Get some sleep.
- Read something informational and inspirational in the morning.
None of these are rocket science. All of them will make a difference.
Spend some time today thinking about what it means for you both as a leader and a human being, to “be ready to play.”
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