CAREER SEARCH
You can learn a lot about work from watching sports, even if a win-win
situation is impossible and no one is tossing around words like "empowerment,"
"paradigm" and "outsourcing." You learn the most, of course, from watching
the best, which has made San Franciscans particularly lucky over the years.
Consider this: If you took the century's best professional athlete from
each city in baseball, basketball and football, no city in America could
beat San Francisco's trio of Willie Mays, Wilt Chamberlain and Joe Montana.
The three offer plenty of career lessons, but here's a highlight from each:
Mays: If you do something spectacularly, people will remember it long after you're gone. If it weren't for the war in Korea and the wind at Candlestick, Mays might have ended up with the most home runs in baseball history, but people's most vivid memories of him often involve spectacular catches or daring baserunning. They even remember the things that happened all the time, from his basket catches to the way his cap flew off as he raced from first to third. He had the style to make himself stand out, and the substance to back it up. Not many people will be as good at their jobs as Mays was at his, but they will be more successful if they manage to seize the moment the way he did. Every baseball fan has seen outfielders catch thousands of routine fly balls; Mays made them a little more fun with his basket catches. It's easy for any job to become routine. Are there things you can do to liven up those tasks, both for yourself and for your boss? When the bosses get reports from 10 people, do they read yours first or savor it for last? Are there fresh ideas? Or is it just middle-of-the-pack claptrap? This doesn't mean you should spend five hours on something that should take 15 minutes, just that you should get into the habit of standing out from everyone else, even on the routine plays. Learn to write more effectively, take a public speaking course, make constructive suggestions instead of griping. And when you do get the chance to do something spectacular, seize the moment. When you get handed a high-profile assignment, do whatever it takes to make it memorable. This is why the best workers are rarely workaholics. They've put so much in already that they don't have the creative energy to find a higher gear when something special comes along. No one may tell you when you have a high-profile opportunity; your instincts need to help you. Vic Wertz hit a triple in the first game of the 1954 World Series, only nobody told Mays. He ran down the ball and made one of the most memorable catches in World Series history. For every other outfielder, it would have been a triple; for Mays, it was a high-profile opportunity. Some workers complain that they never get high-profile assignments, but they're usually mistaken. They either didn't make enough basket catches, or they let that fly ball fall for a triple.
Chamberlain: Even the greats need to adjust. Some of Chamberlain's individual statistics are staggering. While he was with the Warriors, he scored 100 points in one game. In another game, he had 55 rebounds. He averaged 50.4 points in one season, blowing away even Michael Jordan's best year. But he didn't win any championships with the Warriors. After several years with the Warriors - first in Philadelphia and then for 2-1/4 seasons in San Francisco - Chamberlain went to the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first full season with the 76ers, he sacrificed his gaudy scoring statistics and became more of a team player. He averaged only 24.1 points a game, but added 7.8 assists. The 76ers of 1966-67 became one of the greatest single-season teams in basketball history, and not even the Boston Celtics' dynasty could stop him from getting his first championship. Chamberlain adjusted his skills to make the team better. Instead of trying to lead the league in scoring, he tried to lead it in assists.
Montana: Always be cool. Next time you're under intense pressure at work, ask yourself, "What would Joe Montana do?" (Note: Moving to Kansas City is not an acceptable answer.) No matter what exactly Montana might do, you can be sure that he would exude confidence and that he wouldn't look frazzled. Some of his accomplishments are legendary. Before leading the winning drive in the 1989 Super Bowl, he pointed out actor John Candy in the stands to relax his teammates. And he managed to vanquish the dreaded Dallas Cowboys by finding the place where Dwight Clark's hands and heaven came together. But what made Montana great didn't start in San Francisco. In the frigid 1979 Cotton Bowl against Houston, Montana had to leave the game because of hypothermia. Trainers gave him bouillon and eventually got his temperature high enough that he was able to return in the fourth quarter and help Notre Dame come back from a 34-12 deficit to win 35-34. What sometimes gets lost in that story, though, is how Notre Dame scored the final touchdown. With only seconds left, Montana was supposed to throw a short pass to wide receiver Kris Haines in the end zone, but Haines fell down and Montana had to throw the ball away. With 2 seconds left, Montana called the same play. This time Haines didn't fall. Montana threw a good pass, Haines made a good catch and Notre Dame had a little more football history. It's one thing to have confidence, but another to inspire it in others. Montana managed to do both.