My early experiences in sports taught me that if I showed up I got to play in the game. But that made me just like every other aspiring young athlete. Sports at a young age are more about fairness and giving everyone a chance to play. Youth sports are excellent at promoting physical activity and a sense of belonging. But they don’t prepare you for success at a higher level. Being successful at a higher level requires longer practices, lifting more weights, and running more sprints. You’re going to have to work harder than the next person. To be a champion, you have to work and act like a champion.

In the business world, if you merely show up every day and do your job, you’re just like every other employee in the organization. If you want to be a leader in your organization, you need to work and act like a leader every day. This can’t be done if you’re content with standing on the sidelines.