Positional Ownership

Cover of Outliers: The Story of Success

What determines the level and  magnitude of our performance?  Two significant indicators are knowledge and experience; ‘We do what we know, what we own’.  We all have a default derivation of behavior that is the origin of thought regarding circumstances that we face (Let’s call this our ‘baseline’).  Our direction of thought is dictated by personal/shared experiences and from these experiences we develop fundamental but flexible baselines that exists spiritually, emotionally, physically, and intellectually (Let’s call these ‘positions’). 


I have a friend who is transitioning from teaching middle school into Corporate America.  Having limited experiences in the company’s culture restricts inherent behavior exposing a sense of vulnerability and discomfort.  The difference between her and any experienced corporate professional is not intellect, intestinal fortitude, or even ability, it’s familiarity.  Typically familiarity is directly proportional to knowledge and experience which elevates your baseline.  When life challenges us to perform, particularly in inept situations, we react in the direction of all these positions simultaneously.  The more extensive our experiences are, the more elevated our baseline for these positions.  Let’s double click on the emotional position:

• When was the last time you felt a level of anxiety or anger that stressed you?
• Do you believe that if the same level of anxiety or anger were commonplace your thought process would have been the same?
• When was the last time you overreacted or under-reacted to a situation and didn’t realize it until afterwards?
• What would you have done differently if you had time to calm down or  excite and think about it?
• Now, imagine  having experienced these particular circumstances before.  Would this allow you to react more effectively and make better decisions?

My point is that if we are accustomed to an intense degree of experiences, we behave with a distinct grade of grace.  We exude an uncommon allure of composure and credence that exalts our positional baseline.  Although this baseline is based on perception and relativity, the idea is to gain an internal level of confidence that clearly manifests itself as ownership and belief.  In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell magnifies that becoming an expert in your field takes 10,000 hours which is equivalent to approximately 10 years.  I challenge you, as I do myself, to continuously attain your hours and elevate your positional baseline in all fields of human endeavor.  Great Selling!

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