Doing The Basics

In today’s world everything is fast paced.

In the past, well in the times that I was growing up, there were no mobile phones. We actually called our friends on the landline and if there was no answer, we simply called them back later. Then came the answering machine and suddenly we could leave a message.

Today we call mobiles, leave voicemails, send texts and emails, and if someone doesn’t reply quickly enough, we start wondering what is wrong. Patience has almost disappeared.

Unfortunately, that same mindset has filtered into other parts of life as well. Some people believe that if they have a degree or qualification, they should immediately step into a high-paying role without first learning the foundations. They want to start at the top without understanding what happens at the bottom.

I remember arriving in Australia after spending 14 years with the Toronto Police Force. I knew I didn’t want to continue policing, but I also understood that starting over meant exactly that — starting over.

So I took a job delivering parcels for Australia Post.

Was it glamorous? No.

Did it use all the skills I had developed as a police officer? Probably not.

But what it did give me was something incredibly valuable. It gave me an understanding of the business from the ground up.

I learned how the system worked. I learned the pressures staff faced. I learned what customers expected. I learned the basics.

From there I moved into administration at the delivery centre, then into managing another delivery centre, and eventually into a Human Resources management role within Southern Transport.

Every step built on the one before it.

The truth is, the basics matter.

Athletes know this. No matter how elite you become, you still return to the basics. In cycling, it is cadence, positioning, cornering, preparation, recovery and discipline. The champions are often the ones who never stop refining the fundamentals. Those little one percenters that will make them faster and stronger than their opponents

The same applies in business, relationships, leadership and life.

People often want quick success, but lasting success is usually built slowly. It is built through repetition, learning, humility and experience. Doing the small things well over and over again.

The basics are not punishment for being inexperienced.

They are the foundation that prepares you for greater things.

Maybe the problem today is not that opportunities are missing. Maybe it is that too many people are trying to skip the part where character, resilience and understanding are developed.

Because when the pressure comes, and it always does, you cannot build strength on a weak foundation.

The people who last are usually the ones who were willing to learn the basics first.

So the question is, are you willing to master the basics, or are you trying to skip the very steps that create lasting success?