Would You Rather Be Slash or The Nameless G’N’R Drummer?

When I was in high school, I played soccer. I wasn’t overly talented but I was still good because I worked hard, played smart and refused to be outworked by anyone. I was the best defender on our team and one of the best in district because of all that. When I went to college, I wasn’t the best anymore. In fact, I was the worst. I was playing out of position (we had several good defenders so I got moved to midfield, a position that didn’t play to my strengths and exposed all of my weaknesses), I was on a team where I knew exactly no one and I was out of my element, i.e. my comfort zone.

All of that should have added up to wonderful potential because I had no way to go but up. By no longer being the best on the team, I had the chance to learn from all the people who were better than I was. Instead, I stopped working hard and mostly rode the pine all year. I quit in the spring because I couldn’t handle the challenge. To this day, it’s one of my biggest regrets.

What does this have to do with Slash and Guns & Roses? In his book My Job Went To India, Chad Fowler writes about how you should always want to be the worst person in the band if you’re serious about improving your skills at anything. You have to be able to accept challenges and accept the fact that you may fail or else, you’ll always be the same. Being Slash has plenty of perks but most of that has to do with loose women and the best blow and nothing to do with becoming a better guitar player. By constantly making sure that you’re a tiny little turd in a really big bowl, your skills will improve to the level of your ability instead of the level of your comfort. It’s a critical distinction that’s common in anyone successful. Surrounding yourself with people who are better than you are forces you to learn from them and strive to become better.

Of course this blog is all about me so I must have a point, right? (That doesn’t necessarily follow from any of your other posts. Ed. OK, well today it does!) I recently wrote about my internal struggles considering a job I was interviewing for. Assuming I took that job, I’d be a big turd in a really, really little bed pan. My ability to learn would be limited to what I could teach myself. This is not the way to become better.

I’ve been in talks with another company as well and for most of the time, I’ve thought it was a bad fit. That all changed Friday with a discussion I had with the CEO that went really well. In that discussion, it became clear that I would be a tiny little minnow in the proverbial pond at that company. That is exactly what I need. (Besides that, the company sounds great to work at.) The times I learned the most at my last job was when I was working with people smarter and more experienced than I was. It was a fun and challenging time.

I can’t continue to be Slash if I ever want to find out what the limits of my abilities are. I know I’m good at what I do but I’m no rock star. The only way to get there is to learn from the best. I’m hoping I get the chance to do that with this new job.