For the sake of this discussion, it helps to know that Wynton Marsalis is a badass. You don’t even need to like jazz to know that this guy has created tons of success. If you don’t know him, stop right now and check out this bio on Jazz.org or his official page. Or just take my word for it that the dude is for real.
Wynton recently sat down with NPR host, Guy Raz and shared a very candid account of how he became the world-changing force that he is today. He opens up about his childhood as just one of the Marsalis brothers, how he’s not even the most talented Marsalis, and some of the decisions he made that created his success. It’s definitely worth the listen.
In one specific story, Marsalis describes a crossroad he faced early in his teenage years. Aside from his musical ability, he showed a lot of success on the basketball court, and he had to pick a path: music or sports. In his mind, the decision boiled down simply to “competition.” In basketball, he’d spend all of his time competing against other people for his success. However, in music, he’d have to focus on competing against himself and could focus on collaboration with others. From there, the decision was easy.
How insightful is that? Success isn’t a zero sum game; one person’s win does not have to equate to another’s loss. As human beings, we naturally seek relationships that align with our passions. Those relationships fuel our own growth, especially when counterbalanced with opinions that differ from our own.
As you survey the road ahead of you and map out your own impact, are you focused on beating other people? Or are you focused on fostering collaborative relationships? Are you competing against someone else or are you focused on creating the next great version of yourself?
Finding the answers may unlock the door to some really fun growth. Go get it.
Share your leadership experience so others can grow from it!
Photo by Chris Bair on Unsplash
