Are You Showing Up 'TO' Work?

Albert Einstein said that “setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means.”
Anyone who is a baseball fan knows that the number 8 is an infamous number not only for the Baltimore Orioles but for every little league across the country.

Every little boy over the last 20-years has wanted to wear the number 8 on their back because it belonged to one of our greatest baseball hero’s; Cal Ripkin, Jr.

While Cal was known for his awesome baseball catches at shortstop it wasn’t until he was asked to move to third base that people began to realize his true talent…and it wasn’t just on the baseball field.

His flexibility to do what his team needed caused some to say that he would never enjoy the same fame at third base as he had at shortstop. However nothing could have been further from the truth.

Cal is the picture of perfection; not that he is perfect by any means but that he never stopped learning and perfecting his craft until he was the ultimate best that he could be. It was his work ethic that caused many younger players the inability to keep up with him day in and day out on the field and in practice. It was this work ethic that allowed him to play 2,632 consecutive games surpassing Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 record games. Donned with the title the IRON MAN, he earned his name by showing up every day.

In the preface of his 2007 book; ‘Get in the Game,’ Ripkin tells about a conversation in the dugout during the 1998 All Star Game. A young Derek Jeter leaned in to ask Ripkin – “what’s the secret of playing everyday? How do you do it?”

Ripkin said…’you know Derek, I just…I just play.”

As unspectacular as the answer might seem, Ripkin says he’s grown to realize he has to amend that statement a little. “I didn’t just show up FOR work….I also showed up TO work.” The distinction Ripkin syas is that I didn’t just clock in; he made sure he was getting better at his craft every single day. “I think my numbers will back me up”, Ripkin says. “I worked at my game, worked on my weaknesses. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just on the field, but that I was a contributor every time I was out there.”

“I think it’s important, especially in this economy, to see that you can’t stay around if you’re not getting better.” Ripkin says. “No business or baseball team is going to keep people just because they show up. You have to constantly be looking for ways to improve your value to the organization. You have to develop strong fundamentals – no matter what you do. And you have to make yourself indispensable and that requires you to constantly be evaluating what you’re doing and what needs to be done.”

So let me ask you…

 Are you just showing up FOR work or are you showing up TO work?
 Are you constantly identifying your weaknesses and trying to improve and build upon them?
 And lastly, are you contributing to your team in order to build a quality organization?

Lessons from Sports: Showing Up to Work by Don Yaeger: Success Magazine April 2009