On a Role
Friday, September 9, 2011 at 9:00AM 
The first program was a “Titans” documentary on CNBC that featured Apple’s Steve Jobs. Now I’m well aware of Steve’s recent announcement that he would be stepping down as Apple CEO, and I’m even somewhat familiar with his on-again off-again tenure at Apple. The program provided additional insight, depicting Steve’s transition from dorm room to navel-gazing trek in India to his parents’ garage to the boardroom to the curb. Fortunately, he eventually reclaimed the helm of Apple and made history. Like each of us, Steve seems to be a complex mixture of essential human ingredients. He’s brilliant but demanding, inspired but challenging, confident but reserved.
I would consider Steve Jobs one of my role models. He cemented himself in techie lore well before I knew anything about computers. He’s visionary and creative. He’s passionate about giving individuals the ability to do amazing new things. These are qualities I intend to emulate on my own path to building something great in the world of personal goals.
The second program was a “Top 100” listing on the NFL Network that culminated with quarterback Tom Brady in the #1 spot. Fellow footballers had chosen Tom as the best player from the 2011 season. His profile documented how he had been overlooked on draft day (falling to the sixth round), how he was thrust into action following an injury to the then-franchise star, and how his pursuit of excellence on the field has since made him a certain first ballot hall of famer. Despite the fact that I’m a bit older than Tom, I would still consider him to be a role model because of the qualities he continues to demonstrate in his pursuit of on-the-job performance.
I nodded off that night reflecting on these two very different, very accomplished people and what they had achieved on their way to the top.
When I woke up, I was somewhat disappointed to find that I wasn’t wearing a black turtleneck and that I couldn’t throw a tight spiral. There were no top-secret iPhone 5 specifications on my bedside table, and there was no underwear model anywhere in sight. (I double-checked under the bed, just in case.) Nope, I was still plain old me.
It’s very clear that while I can appreciate and examine the lives and experiences of my role models, it’s up to me to apply the lessons in my own life. I can admire Steve’s clear and compelling vision, but more importantly, what’s my vision? It doesn’t have to as clear or as compelling as his, but I only get points if I develop a Steve-like vision in my own life. I can appreciate Tom’s ability to make those people around him better, but how am I doing that in my own life? I won’t ever hoist the Lombardi trophy, but how will I make my own mark during crunch time?
I’m a big fan of selecting and even studying role models. I feel we can glean a lot from the lives of those people we most admire or whose values and accomplishments resonate most with us. Having said that, we can’t simply absorb their lessons and not apply them in our lives.
Who’s moved you? Who’s life or achievements have really made an impression as something you’d like to emulate in your own life? Most importantly, how can you honor their greatness through your attitude, your actions, and your interactions with others?
My advice to myself and to anybody else who’s interested: Study your role models just like Steve and Tom did. But just like Steve and Tom, commit to applying their lessons in pursuit of success in your own life.
Even if only in some small way, our world will be a better place for our willingness to do so.
We can learn a lot from our role models,
but we need to ensure that we apply their lessons in our own lives.