What Will You Be Known For?

I was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger today.  You may recall he is the guy celebrated as a hero when he safely landed a plane in NYC’s Hudson River after having all of his engines fail.

Overall, the article is very inspiring and I enjoyed reading it.  One thing that really struck me, however, was one of  Sully’s quotes in the article:

"We need to try to do the right thing every time, to perform at our best," he says, "because we never know what moment in our lives we'll be judged on."

  That is a very poignant comment, isn’t it?  It was also very timely for me, as I’ve been thinking about similar things in my own life lately.  You see, I’ve done a huge variety of things in my career but, as I change roles I sometimes find myself a bit “typecast” based on one person or another’s view of what they believe I’m best at based on their limited experience with me. 

At a certain level, I’m flattered that they think I’m adding value in a particular area, but in other ways I feel short changed because my talents aren’t being fully utilized.  My default behavior is sometimes to just “live with it” though I am making more of a conscious effort to do better “PR” so I don’t get minimized.

OK… enough whining - what are my takeaways from the thinking triggered by Sully’s quote?

• You can’t always pick what other people will value you for an remember you for, so try to do things you can be proud of whenever possible.  That way, no matter what someone else picks to tag you with, it’ll probably be OK.
• Just because you feel like your “highest and greatest” moments aren’t being noticed, doesn’t mean you’re not adding value.
• It takes a lot of work to overcome typecasting, if you can at all.  So ask yourself, “Is it worth it, or can I live with my typecasting?”
• You can honor the past, but you can’t live in it.  If you don’t like the present, work on how you can change things in the future.

Of course, the other side of the coin bears thinking, too:  Are there people I’m typecasting in the same way?  How would I even recognize it if I were? Hmm…

Comments

[Rick Hamrick]

Dwayne--

The Sully quote is telling a great truth in a compelling way. It really isn't possible to know when we will be judged, particularly as he was by the circumstances which left him piloting an aircraft with no power, very little altitude, and millions of people beneath him, not to mention the 150 on board. By the same token, we cannot know for sure what actions we take which others will value most highly.

A trivial example: I have been telling my wife jokes and delivering one-liners to her as they occur to me for more than ten years. She has the good fortune (?!?) to be my most-frequently targeted audience. As one would expect when you play before the same audience every day of the year for more than a decade, she is pretty familiar with the style of my material. I know, sometimes, lines which are best left unspoken as they are known to cause nothing but eye-rolling on the part of the audience. I self-edit and don't say them.

At the same time, there are lines I think will be great laugh inducers, only to see them greeted with the same eye-rolling which I seek to avoid. Equally unsettling (but much more fun) are the lines which I deliver offhandedly which cause guffaws to the point of tears. Wouldn't you think that I would know the audience as well as she knows me? Yes, I do...when I am her audience! The one performing the action, the one doing the deed, he or she is the one who is left uncertain as to how the end result will be judged.

It is this very uncertainty which adds flavor and zest to our lives and keeps us trying new things. And, as Sully says and as you further elucidate, knowing that we cannot know when we will be tested or which of our actions will prove to be most valued, giving all our chosen tasks our full attention and completing them to the best of our ability provides a marvelous chance to be seen as a contributor who adds value...or, to successfully land that giant aircraft so perfectly.

Great post, Dwayne!