Something about writing for this edition of Plumbing Engineer has me yearning to do a book report. Perhaps it’s because the weather is finally warmer and the thought of sitting on my porch is inviting, or maybe it’s because my kids are off for the summer and I’m missing helping them with their homework. Ha! I think the reality is that I am coming off a month of performance reviews and longing to recharge my batteries. 

The book I read this month is called “Compete Every Day” by Jake Thompson. I was first introduced to him and the concept of competing every day at the American Society of Health Care Engineering Region 6 conference, where he was the keynote speaker. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I have been an athlete since early childhood, so the concept of translating lessons from sports into my corporate life made sense.

In the book’s opening chapter, the author introduces the concept of competition and how we, as humans, desire to be winners because winners belong. We spend our lives searching for that win and when we don’t find the easy win, we start searching for the thing that will be the “tipping point.” 

Thompson gives the examples of “When I find ‘the one,’ I will be complete,” “When I start this new diet, I will be in shape and happy,” or “When I read that one specific book, I will be able to solve all my problems overnight.” The truth is that there is no easy button to success, otherwise we’d be a world full of people all achieving the same things and living at the same level. When we adopt the competitor’s mindset and make small shifts in our daily lives, we find our successes and become a winner.

It is important to note that we are not talking about how to compete with others to become successful but how to compete with yourself to grow and become a better version of yourself each day. To do this, the author uses eight topics to create the framework:

1. Outwork your talent.

2. Never let the hard days win.

3. Embrace the process.

4. Build your starting lineup.

5. Lead with your actions.

6. Always do your best.

7. Help others win, too.

8. End on empathy.

Prepare for Success

I spent a great deal of time reading and re-reading the chapter called “Embrace the Process.” For me, it was the chapter that brought the most clarity to where I am today:

“Success is achieved by doing the work to be ready to maximize our opportunities long before those opportunities ever arrive. You can’t seize the moment when it arrives unless you’re prepared for it. It’s too late to prepare for it when the moment arrives.”

All too often, we sit back and wait to see what opportunity will come to us; however, we miss the opportunity because we are blind to its potential. I started doing the work for my career leadership journey long before the thought of being an actual leader entered my mind. To be honest, I never saw myself as being a leader in the organization because those positions were better suited for someone else. 

Nonetheless, I began attending leadership conferences and webinars and reading blogs. I was drawn to the concept of leadership; out of that, I started to grow. I was so intrigued by all the great advice out there. Eventually, I was listening to leadership podcasts during my commute to work or a book on tape the podcast recommended. 

When my first corporate leadership opportunity came around, I resisted. I had myself believing that leadership was for others better suited for the position, but the reality was that I had put in my work and, without even realizing it, had put myself in the position to be that leader.

Were my skills developed 100%? Definitely not, and they still aren’t. I make many mistakes; however, had I not been challenging myself to focus on leadership and do the work on my own to hone those skills, my leadership opportunity would have passed me by. 

Do the work to grow you on your own. It may take time to practice what you learn, but it will be worth it, and you will see the fruits of your labors.

Takeaways

This book is truly inspiring and was the refresh I needed after a month of conducting performance reviews. It is a short, quick read full of great ideas to help you “compete every day” and become the best version of yourself. I’ll leave you with some of the chapter takeaways from the book I am focusing on: 

• Our daily choices — not our circumstances — determine our future successes and failures.

• Your natural talent doesn’t determine your choices — you do. Don’t use “their talent” as an excuse to avoid responsibility for your own actions. Focus on how you’re going to work harder than you did before.

• What matters most is not what happened in the past but what you do next.

• You can choose to always look perfect and to never struggle in front of others. You can also choose to get better. However, you can’t choose both.

• The “yes men,” the envious, and the excuse-makers will fill our lives with negativity and drown our chances of success. Like pruning a flower, we must cut away toxic and dead relationships so we can continue to grow.

• Leaders set the example in how they do the smallest of tasks. You’re never too big to sweep the parking lot or clean the sink because it shows your teammates that no one is above the team.

• Excuses will never save the day for you. Show up with a positive attitude and your best efforts every day, no matter how you feel, how the weather is or what someone else does. Your success comes down to owning your actions, efforts and attitudes consistently over time.

• Competitors are focused on how they can invest in helping their networks succeed instead of how many followers they can accumulate.