In his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear shares an interesting perspective on two world-class athletes: Michael Phelps (the American Olympic athlete) and Hicham El Guerrouj (a record-setting long distance runner from Morocco). Both men are considered to be among the best-ever in their respective sports. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all-time with 28 medals over 5 Olympics from 2000-2016. El Guerrouj medaled in multiple Olympics, set (and holds) several world-records and still holds 6 of the 10 fastest times ever recorded in the 1500m and 7 of the top 15 times in the 1 mile. Without doubt, the two men are among the most accomplished athletes in history. And, while they have a common degree of success, they are phenomenally different physically.
Michael Phelps stands 6’4″ and weighs about 190 pounds.. His torso is incredibly long for his size, and the wingspan of his arms is legendary. His size 15 feet are like gigantic flippers in the water and his lung capacity allows him to dive deeper and longer, aiding to his competitive advantage. On the other hand, El Guerrouj is just 5′ 9″ and weighs a light 128 pounds. He’s light enough to be swift, but has a long stride and ample speed. Indeed physically, the two men are polar opposites. Except in one crucial way. Phelps and El Guerrouj have the exact same leg (inseam) length.
For the taller Phelps, this means his longer torso and arms pull his smaller legs through the water faster. El Guerrouj has a shorter torso compared to his longer legs, increasing his stride and propelling him further, faster. Each individual athlete is genetically gifted for the exact sport they dominate. They are world class athletes in part because they are so physically specialized for their sport. They are, literally, optimized for their success.
If we switched the two men into the other’s sport, the results would be utterly disastrous. Phelps is not built to be a distance runner and El Guerrouj’s physique would not be successful in the pool. In this scenario, these masters would fail miserably. While they’re both phenomenal athletes, they have specific “lanes” in which they’re successful. Move outside those lanes and chaos would reign.
It’s much the same with our Two Twelve teams – we are surrounded by experts in various professions, from trades or services to attorneys, accountants, and technical fields. Each is trained and experienced in their fields – to the degree that brings expertise and performance ability that is (in MANY cases) world-class! On my own team, I’m blessed to have many of these folks around the table. And THAT is the great benefit of our relationship in Two Twelve; we are surrounded by experts who not only practice their craft but provide that service to the rest of us readily. We don’t have to move “outside our lane” to pretend to know more than we do. If we allow our team members to BE the experts, we benefit tremendously and that ultimately brings tremendous value to us all.
Incidentally, this is also a reminder that we ought to be cautious about ‘staying in our lane’ and sticking to what we know. Sometimes we meet a professional who acts like a “category cowboy” (they do ‘everything’; they’ll gladly tell you!). Specialists are more successful than generalists and the more we focus on our specialty and delivering the best outcomes, the more successful our teams and our business will be.