You never know who will go to surprise you and exceed far beyond what could have been imagined.
Tom Brady was the overall 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft. He was lightly regarded, and many thought he would never be good enough to play pro ball. Well, little did they know he would go on to be the greatest NFL player of all time and lead football history with the most super bowl wins. Do you think his first team owner could have seen that ability in him? No. Just like you can’t see what other people will go on to become.
Do you think Michigan State knew that Nick Saban would become the greatest college football coach of all time? No. The reason is we never know who will exceed and surprise us. I was talking with a client yesterday and he told me his wife went to high school with Jeff Bezos. He was just this kid who was always hanging around with the computer geeks. Well, he has probably done better in life than the quarterback who was the most popular guy in high school. The point is, you never know.
Just picture in your mind some of people who have done great things and ask yourself if you would have been able to recognize that ability in them. Probably not. That is why it is important to treat everyone equal and with respect because you just never know who that person might turn out to be. One thing you can be sure of, that person will remember who treated them fairly and equally.
I have all of John Grisham’s books and I love the story about when he had printed his first book, and no one would buy it except for a few small bookstores. Today he is a world-renowned author and every time he releases a new book, guess where he always goes and does a book signing? Yep, those same few bookstores that bought his first book. People will remember how you treat them.
You have heard the term, never judge a book by its cover? That really is true because greatness is always hidden until it is time to show up. KT