Jan
The Three Dimensions of Success
Recently I was at a grocery store as my wife had asked me to pick up shredded coconut. Of course, I had no clue where I could find it in the store. So, I decided to ask the first person I found, which was Andrew. Andrew told me, “Maybe they are in the baking aisle”. I didn’t want to go to the baking aisle and look everywhere, only to be frustrated. I felt that I deserved more than a ‘Maybe’.
Next, I found Bob. Bob closed his eyes thinking deeply, and said, “Baking aisle, towards the middle, a little lower, right next to pralines and raisins”. Wow, it felt like Bob had a shredded coconut moment. I was excited and headed to the baking aisle. Upon reaching my destination I realized that these bags of shredded coconut were sweetened and processed. That is not what my wife wanted. I was making progress as I knew what my wife did not want.
Finally, in my quest shredded coconut, I found Chris. Chris smiled at me and said, “Let’s go for a walk”. He looked for the product on his phone as we walked. He turned to me and said, “We have coconut at four places”. He took me to each of those four places. With a smirk on his face he said, “Maybe you should call and ask your wife which coconut is perfect for her. That way, you walk home with a big smile as a winner”.
Chris was right. I facetimed my wife and proudly picked up the right shredded coconut.
This adventure was more than searching for shredded coconut, as I learned that there are three dimensions of success for any job, at any point of life.
Dimension A: You have to be good at what you do.
This is a person who knows what they are doing and is good at it.
Andrew did not do that. He had no clue.
Dimension B: You have to have passion and pride. There has to be a smile, and you should enjoy it.
This is a person who is good at the job and enjoys doing it.
Bob was good at his work. He knew exactly where the product was. He found the right answer and gave it. But he didn’t care. There was no pride or passion as he did not have the drive to do what it takes to take me to what I was searching for.
Dimension C: You have to connect to the impact.
This is a person who is good at the job, finds passion and connects it to the impact they make and locks in on it.
This is where Chris comes in. Chris understood my requirements and the kind of help I needed. He knew that I needed a personal GPS, guiding me through every left and right turn in the grocery store. He realized that his job was not only to get me the shredded coconut, but for me to take the right coconut shreds to his wife. To make me a winner, to get me wife to say, “See Arjun, there is something smart in you!”.
These are the A, B, C’s of competence and success that I look for in individuals at any time in the business world.
Here, Dimension A makes us ‘One of Many’, Dimension B makes us ‘One of Few’, and Dimension C makes us ‘One of One’. Connecting to impact separates us from being one of many and puts us on the path to being one of one.
If that grocery store ever posted Chris’s schedule, I would be first in line to frequent the store during those hours, knowing that my friend, Chris, would be there to help me. Thank you, Chris! I am looking forward to visiting Chris’s grocery store next.
