Being at the Top of Your Game with Humility and Grace
I like observing and taking mental notes of people who are at the very top of their respective career fields. I like to notice the commonalities and trends in successful people’s attributes and characteristics. In other words, I like to try and figure out what makes people successful. What makes someone even more special to me is when they are one of the best at what they do yet are humble, appreciative and classy.
Dallas Braden, current starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, pitched a very rare perfect game on May 9, 2010, just over a week ago. As a sports nut in general and even more of a fanatic for Bay Area sports in particular, I felt very fortunate to watch the last half of the game on television. The announcers began to interview him just minutes after the final out of the game.
What struck me was how gracious and articulate Dallas Braden was throughout the interview. He generously acknowledged his team’s contributions and paid great respect to the opposing team’s pitcher. That he spent a long time simply hugging his grandmother made me admire him even more, as he took his sweet time to properly express his gratitude towards his grandmother. The entire sequence televised immediately following the perfect game definitely showed an athlete who was genuine, intelligent, thoughtful and overall a class act. And all that makes me even an even bigger Dallas Braden fan. Very inspiring.
Just this past weekend, I saw former NFL 49er Bryant Young (BY) and his family at a local farmers’ market. Talk about someone who exudes humility and class. There’s a reason why BY was honored with the Len Eshmont award eight times. When he earned the award the seventh time, he said in a San Francisco Chronicle article, “That award is near and dear; you get the respect of your peers… And, too, it is humbling that at this point in my career, I’m still getting that award because there are so many people (who) are deserving.”
What a great quote from BY. And it’s no surprise that his teammates continued to vote for him for the Len Eshmont award the following year as well, which was his last year in the NFL. There was no need to bother him at the farmers’ market. Just seeing him carry on at the market with his family and sensing his mellow, quiet vibe, was inspiring enough.
There’s just something about seeing true greats in their respective career fields be humble, smart, gracious and thoughtful. Dallas Braden and Bryant Young are two such examples. They’re inspiring to me and make me proud to be a local A’s and 49ers fan.