Higher Performance Insights | The Counterintuitive Path to Personal Success

October 29, 2024
higher performance insights

What if the secret to success wasn't about you at all?

 

Bill Belichick didn't become a legendary coach by hogging the spotlight. He started by doing the work nobody else wanted to do: watching film—hours and hours of it.

 

Years later, to the surprise of few, Belichick landed himself his dream position.

 

Ryan Holiday's journey in Hollywood parallels Belichick's ascent. In a Business Insider article, Holiday recounts advice he received as an assistant: "Make other people look good." While this guidance proved valuable, Holiday later realized its wording fell short. [1]

 

In his book "Ego is the Enemy," Holiday refines this concept, introducing "The Canvas Strategy":

 

"It's not about making someone look good. It's about providing the support so that others can be good. Find canvases for other people to paint on.... Clear the path for the people above you, and you will eventually create a path for yourself." [2]

 

Here's the rub: when you're starting out, you're probably not as good as you think.

 

Your attitude needs work. And most of what you think you know is wrong.

 

But that's okay.

 

Because the Canvas Strategy isn't about you. It's about:

 

  • Giving your best ideas to your boss.
  • Connecting people who should meet up with each other.
  • Doing the tasks everyone else avoids.
  • Creating more and keeping less.

 

It's counterintuitive. It's difficult. It requires setting your ego aside.

 

But here's the magic: By clearing the path for others, you create your own.

 

Putting others before ourselves requires much from ourselves—humility, graciousness, resilience. But it’s something that delivers a return manifold, no matter where you are in your career.


Footnotes

[1] The Canvas Strategy by Ryan Holiday

[2] Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

Team Discussion Question

How can you foster a culture where team members prioritize collective success over individual recognition, and what specific actions can your system leaders take to model and encourage this mindset?

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