This story was originally posted on LinkedIn, of course.
The day I sent my President to the ER taught me something about ego that business school never could.
Allow me to spin you some yarn and tell you a story, and then you tell me your thoughts.
I was working my second job since moving to California—a technical support representative taking calls for a point-of-sale product. A POS. And you better believe that thing was a POS.
The president of our company was the kind of guy everyone wanted to be around. Winning smile, affable, infectious energy. The whole executive package. I wanted to be like him, but I also wanted to torment him at every opportunity. Why? Because I’m a piece of shit. Alright?
I’d say things like: “I hear Princeton is the first second choice of colleges for those who can’t get into Harvard!” (I say this as someone who never completed college and is seriously undereducated.)
We’d pass in the hallway. He’d smile. “Read a book lately?” he’d fire back. In the middle of all this trash-talking, we got on the topic of basketball. Whose team was better? I always rep #ripcity — I forget what his favorite team was, but it escalated. We should play one-on-one he suggested.
“Hey, man, I will smash you. I will dunk on your face and I will make you submit to me in Klingon!!” I told the accomplished entrepreneur and family man quite menacingly…
I say that as someone whose last slam dunk was at 15 years old in high school when nobody was looking. So I can’t prove what I just told you is true. I’ll let you decide whether that’s true. So that you know, it’s not true. But whatever.
He’d say, “You know I used to play. I was a starter at Princeton.” I’d rip back “That’s like saying you’re the world’s smartest neanderthal,” I’d reply.
This went on for a year. Eventually, we made a date and we got on the court. He came down wearing short shorts and a tank top. “Hey Vasquez, are you ready to play?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m ready to thrill!” I said
We went out to the blacktop. There’s a hoop in the back of the parking lot. We started playing.
Let me tell you—the president had a game. He whizzed by, ran circles around, and out-jumped me. Quickly, it was 4-1, then 6-1.
Something was starting to happen. He was turning red in the face, in his shoulders. He was losing wind!!
Opportunity! I score five unanswered points.
He’s fighting, sweat dripping. I finally beat him 11-6. He wasn’t in good shape. But he’s an executive. He’s the president. He says “again.” He groans it, arms flailing.
As we’re about to start, his executive assistant comes from the sidelines: “You know what? This game is stupid, and it’s over. I’m taking you straight to the hospital.” She said.
It turns out the president was having what modern medicine calls an asthma attack. He was trying to will his way through it. That didn’t work. I, having inferior talent, beat a more talented but more successful person.
What lesson did I learn from this about business that I can share with you here on LinkedIn? Nothing but I’m glad you asked! Something something, ego triumphs over talent or something such…