I took some time this weekend to watch the 2008 Olympic tryouts in Indianapolis. It's fun to watch the top American athletes compete for a spot to compete against the world's top athletes.
I caught the 10m women's platform diving competition. For those of you who don't know, the winner ( top scorer ) of the competition gets an automatic ticket to compete in Beijing this year, and the remaining 5 of the top 6 need to compete again to see who else is going. This year the winner was 30-year old Laura Wilkinson. She held a decisive 74 point lead against the 2nd place finisher, and her roommate, Haley Ishimatsu.
Not all of Laura's dives were great. However when she setup for a reverse 3 1/2 somersault from the tuck position, she nailed it! When she came up from the water to look at here scores, she saw nothing but 10's -- clear across the board.
It was so exciting, when she hit the water, even coaches for the other competitors cheered in elation! That's what happens when you witness a great execution, for something you care about.
Throughout the competitions, I noticed a pattern that I also notice in Corporate America. Laura wasn't the only one that had a strong lead over 2nd place. In the 3m diving competition Christina Loukas won so handily, she didn't even need to take her last dive. She had already lapped the competition. She ended up crushing the 2nd place finisher Nancilia Foster by 90 points! And little Shawn Johnson obliterated the competition in the gymnastics tryouts, being heralded by the Detroit News as the Tiger Woods of her sport. Speaking of Tiger, how amazing was that game!
Greatness sticks out. I know, that even if you only win by a head, it's still a win. And I've been to my share of horse races where that happened. However in Corporate America, I've noticed that the winners stick out by a mile, just like the Olympic tryouts.
Top players in compliance aren't just good -- they're great. The best companies just seem to get it all right. There's a strong GRC message that flows from the top down. They are in control of their processes, and are constantly improving. Their audits are consistently clean, and their cost of compliance is low because they've taken measures to integrate and consolidate various compliance efforts, including their own internal policy. They are not afraid to spend money, because they know their money is well directed, and will payoff in dividends.
Even when it seems unlikely, and the odds are against them, they set the bar. Just like Laura Wilkinson at 30 years old taking all those teenie-boppers to school. Or Tiger Woods taking the US Open with broken bones -- c'mon give me a break!
Top players just get it right, because they get it. Do you?
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