Why Your Best Is NOT Good Enough
1. Feature Article
Why Your Best Is NOT Good Enough
By John DiJulius, Chief Revolution Officer
My two favorite examples of how giving your best should not be the goal are: The Reality Distortion Field and the 4-Minute Mile.
My least favorite saying is “I gave my best.” To me, it is an unacceptable crutch; I don’t want to hear it. My personal feeling is this: when the goal is to accomplish greatness, go where no one or team has gone before—your best won’t be good enough. Your best is what you were capable of in the past. You have to figure it out, to try a thousand ways; if need be try another thousand ways, innovate, lose sleep, get around it, find loopholes, research, sweat like you never have before.
Every extraordinary accomplishment, invention, or revolution was not a result of someone giving his or her best. Somehow that person or group found a way to do what no one else could do; they did the impossible; they did what no one had ever done before.
The Reality Distortion Field
Back when Apple was just a startup, one of the first things new employees were taught, sometimes the hard way, was that their leader, Steve Jobs, “has a reality distortion field.” The reality distortion field enabled Jobs and Apple to inspire his team to change the course of computing history with a fraction of the resources of Xerox or IBM. “We did the impossible because we didn’t realize it was impossible,” said Andy Hertzfeld, one of Apple’s original computer developers.
“The reality distortion field was a combination of a charismatic rhetorical style, an indomitable will, and an eagerness to bend any fact to fit the purpose at hand. Amazingly, the reality distortion field seemed to be effective even if you were acutely aware of it. We would often discuss potential techniques for grounding it … but after a while most of us gave up, accepting it as a force of nature,” Hertzfeld shared.
How Can You Create Your Own Reality Distortion Field?
Steve Jobs’ “reality distortion field” was a personal refusal to accept limitations that stood in the way of his ideas, to convince himself and anyone on his team that anything was in fact possible.
Each of us has the opportunity to create such a field. What we consider “possible” and “impossible” are merely the way we were preprogrammed and consensus thinking about artificial boundaries. What ideas and thoughts do you need to become unrealistic about?
The History of the 4-Minute Mile
For centuries man tried to find a way to break the 4-minute mile. Legend has it that they even had lions chase men to see if that helped them run faster. Unfortunately that did not end too well. By the early 1950’s all the medical experts had determined the human body was simply not capable of a 4-minute mile. It wasn’t just dangerous; it was impossible, the human body had reached its limit.
This changed on May 6, 1954. Roger Bannister made history and shocked the world when he broke the 4-minute barrier, running the distance in 3:59.04. The impossible was made possible. Could this feat ever happen again? Within 12 months, 24 more runners broke the 4-minute mark. What happened in that 12 months? Did the human anatomy change? No. The belief system of what people thought was possible had changed. This applies to every aspect of our lives.
How Are You Going To Change History?
A true purpose is a vision of how you will make the world a better place. A vision is a picture of a better world that your products or service makes possible. Captivating visions inspire people to become evangelists for the organization.
It’s not the great idea that works, it’s the great passion behind it. Every original idea initially results in snickers, quips, and laughing. That is why most are killed long before they can ever become great. If you have a great idea, put on a bulletproof vest and helmet and go after it.
Passion is the emotional fuel that drives your vision. It’s what you hold onto when your ideas are challenged and people turn you down, when you are rejected by “experts” and the people closest to you. It’s the fuel that keeps you going when there is no outside validation for your dream.
First, you need to believe in yourself. Don’t waiver. There will be people who don’t think like you do, don’t have your vision, who cannot comprehend being a visionary. I am more scared when everyone agrees with my ideas.
*Related – Episode #4 of The Customer Service Revolution – Alden Mills, a nationally recognized Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur
2. Free Customer Service Training for Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19
The DiJulius Group is giving small businesses, that have been affected by the quarantine, free customer service training for all their employees.
The DiJulius Group wants to help as many small businesses get back on their feet as possible during these unprecedented times. We know small businesses 
typically don’t have the time, manpower or budget to train all their employees on the soft skills they would like them to have. We also know that now is a great time for these businesses to take advantage of the extra down time and use it to train their employees. This way, as they reopen, they can stand out by providing a world-class customer experience that will blow their customers away. Helping them rebuild their businesses and brand identity in their community.
Name of training: My Customer Experience Trainer (My CX Trainer) – Customer Service Training (Video) for Customer Facing Employees That Will Help Them Provide A World-Class Experience. Just a few of the things your employees will learn:
- The importance of delivering an experience versus just a service
- How to have more empathy and compassion for those they serve
- What they should Never do and Always do when interacting with a customer
- How to build an instant rapport with customers
- Easy ways to go above & beyond for customers
What types of businesses: Independent, non-franchised, single location small businesses, under $5M in annual revenue. (Companies who are not eligible that are over $5M or part of a franchise system can receive a complimentary call with a Customer Experience Consultant)
3. Short Video You Need to Watch and Share with Your Team
Is being stuck in quarantine driving you crazy? Is it affecting your attitude? Watch this 1-minute video by Captain Charlie Plumb. Plumb was a POW during Vietnam for six years, living in 8-by-8-foot cell for 2,103 days. You will be surprised to hear what he realized was the real prison he was in. I love what he says: “Your only restriction is your reluctance to see the opportunity in front of you and the inaction to take charge of your life.” By the way, Captain Plumb was one of the highest rated speakers we have ever had at The Customer Service Revolution.
4. Quote Of The Week
“You have greatness within you, you have something special, if you could only get a glimpse of a larger vision of yourself, of who you really are, of what you bring to this world, of your specialness, then the world will never be the same again; you make your parents, school, and community proud; you can touch a million people’s lives.”
—Unknown
5. Newest Episode Of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast
Episode #4 – The DiJulius Group chats with Alden Mills, a nationally recognized Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur.
In times of crisis where there’s too much uncertainty, where do you stand as a leader? In this episode, Dave Murray from The DiJulius Group chats with Alden Mills, a nationally recognized rower turned Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur.
His first company was hugely successful, having been recognized by Inc. magazine as an Inc. 500 CEO. He is also the author of Be Unstoppable: The 8 Essential Actions to Succeed, and Unstoppable Teams, which is about leadership and culture.
Today, Alden Mills shares with us the three-tiered approach to leadership, the biggest obstacle organizations are facing today in terms of leadership, why you need to focus on leading yourself first before leading your team, and what true leadership is really about.
In this episode, you will hear:
- The success of his book Be Unstoppable
- The three-tiered approach to leadership
- 3 stepping stones that will help you get to where you need to be as a leader
- How to tackle uncertainty as a leader
- The CARES model and the 4 C’s of care
