I love when I have A-HA moments! The one I share with you today, stems from an amazingly talented friend, who has provided me wonderful inspiration, encouragement and wisdom, whose mission is helping people discover what makes them great, THE …Antonio Neves. In one of my favorite articles and blog posts of his, Are you spending time with Allies of Glory or Thieves of Ambition, Antonio hits on some topics that everyone can benefit from as we grow through life. Allies of Glory inspire you, encourage you, hold you accountable and test you to be the absolute best version of yourself. Thieves of Ambition do none of the above and can restrict your growth.
He goes on to explain: “A good way to look at this is like the starting five of a basketball team. Each player has a unique role to play. Here are the key positions for you to identify:
- Point Guard – The Facilitator. The point guard is the floor general. They see the big picture and support you in managing the flow of information. They’re good at knowing when you can speed things up or slow things down. In short, they can see things that you can’t.
- Shooting Guard – The Playmaker. The playmaker is the Molotov Cocktail. They light the scoreboard up. They are in the midst of making great things happen in their life and when you need a jolt of creativity, business brainstorming or a push, they are your person. They move fast and don’t have much patience for indecision. They remind you that if you miss a shot, just keep shooting.
- Small Forward – The Encourager. The role player is one of the most underestimated players on a team. They do the work that many don’t see and they don’t regularly show up in the post-game statistics. But when they’re around, you always seem to be at your best. During tough spells they support you with perspective and their never wavering commitment.
- Power Forward – The Bruiser. As much as you love your power forward, you may equally hate them. Their genius is holding you accountable to what you said you were going to do. If you tell them you’re writing a book, they’ll ask questions like, “When will it be finished?” They are metric-based and measure success by the progress you do or don’t make.
- Center – The Rock. This is the veteran. When all hell is breaking loose, they help you remember what’s most important. They make sure you don’t mistake the forest for the trees. They know that goals are great but sometimes we just lose sight of why we are doing whatever we are doing in the first place. You need them to keep you grounded and supported.
Spending time with top performers isn’t always easy. Why? Because they’re going to push your buttons. They’re not going to accept excuses. They’re going to make you do what you say, hold you accountable. They’re going to get you outside of your comfort zone. The good news is that this positive friction is where growth, development and breakthroughs happen.
Your starting five aren’t always going to be your best friends. You may not even talk daily. But when it’s time to play ball, they will bring out the best in you every time.
I have shared this with many in my circle, my Allies of Glory and many of whom are athletes and leaders. It opened all of our eyes to the reminders of just how valuable this is- to be associated with greatness. It aligns with how I lead my life and how I strive to be to those who have me in their top 5. This may require you to do some “house cleaning” and get real with who are associating with (this was something I had to do and continue to have check-ins with myself and thus the a-ha moments). When you ask the questions- Do the people around you, the ones you are spending your time with, are they making you better or are they keeping you complacent and comfortable standing where you are? No better time than the present to reflect on this and get to spending time with TOP PERFORMERS yourself included!!!
Please check out the entire podcast at www.theantonioneves.com
xx, a-m
