Careerist or Frontierist?

Sir Bill Gammell, a leading Scottish entrepreneur and international athlete, spoke to a group of business men and women asking them what they saw in the above picture of a pole vaulter. The answers varied:

1. He is almost over the bar but not quite.

2. He has cleared the bar.

3. He knocked the bar off.

4. He is trying to set a record.

But Gammell’s response was different. He said that there is no bar, no limit to what you can achieve or what you can master. The pole vaulter’s mind focuses on reaching new heights every single day.

One of the most common traits of successful people is that they never feel content — they don’t even know a bar exists. They are never satisfied with their work; they always believe they can do better and reach new heights, even though their work might set records. They simply chase perfection and mastery. When we as leaders put bars in place, we limit our growth and our potential production.

When given the same job day after day, we must understand there are two types of people. The first is dependable, performing the task with consistent effort, always clearing the bar. He/she is somewhat bored and wants more, but doesn’t want to raise that current assignment bar. We call these types of people “Careerists.”

Then there is the other. Those who cannot wait to do the same thing repeatedly with incredible enthusiasm and believe that each time they do the same mundane work, they learn more about themselves, find new ways to clear the bar and each day set it a little higher. We call those people “Frontierists.” We must teach those we lead how to become “Frontierists.” It is not an instinctive trait. Contentment is instinctive; satisfaction is instinctive. But exploring new heights, reaching new frontiers, is not.

Let’s make sure we teach our teams the difference between careerists and frontierists and then let them make a choice. It will be easy to observe who will make a difference.

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