Why the Best in you can potentially bring the Worst for you…

Are you surprised at the caption of this article? It is a bitter pill of our life. It is better to recognize that “the Best in you can often bring the Worst for you” and then, learn how to manage the Best in you. The best could be your quality or qualification, talent or trait, competence or compassion, beauty or personality.

Familiar living examples

  1. Tiger Woods
    He became legendary, popular and wealthy, during peak of his career in golf. These also made him far more out-going, overlooking social norms, which led to his down fall. History could have, otherwise, been written differently for him.
  2. Diego Maradona
    His rise and successes in soccer games was phenomenal and he became one of the most loved stars of his country – Argentina. He was not able to handle conflicts and fame, which had led him to drug abuse and serious health issues.
  3. Britney Spears
    She is a celebrated singing talent and iconic performer. Her successes and controversies have gone literally hand in hand. Her genius has made her different and difficult.
  4. Former US President Bill Clinton
    He came to White House for 2nd term with thumping victory. His power and persona made him vulnerable and fell into highly criticized affair with young intern. He failed to draw a line between sanctity and sensuality.
  5. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
    He is globally acclaimed economist and the most qualified Prime Minister of a country in world. He is noble and decent. These great qualities apparently have come in his way to become an effective and assertive leader. He is clean; yet he is not able to put his foot down, when people try to tarnish his image!

Famous past examples

  1. Albert Einstein
    He was the greatest genius of 20th Century. He was highly focused and determined for what he was pursuing in physics. This made him uncompromising. He produced ground breaking theories; but he could not prevent breaking of his married life, which did trouble him for years.
  2. Steve Jobs
    It is well known how brilliant and iconic technology business leader, he was. His ruthless passion for innovation and drive to market also made him egoistical, defiant and uncompromising. He was ferociously critical of anyone, whom he perceived as coming in the way of his mission, be it Bill Gates or Google founders. His very strong belief in “himself and his ideas” might have led to his late decision to treat his cancer with surgery.
  3. Cleopatra VII
    She was astonishingly beautiful and amazingly intelligent; but history shows those contributed to controversies and connivance, deceit and destruction.

There are hundreds of such examples of well-known people. But, it is very much true for ordinary and majority.

When you step into your “Best”, which “Worst” can trap you?

You aspire and work to acquire several qualities to become a better professional or individual or leader. Some or all of these may unleash the best in you. I would list below some of these qualities at their best and what worst, these can pull you into:

  • Your strong mission and/or passion would drive you to be uncompromising and unrelenting. This can invite trouble with your health and family life.
  • Your sharp focus and precision would make you inflexible and close minded.
  • Your power and/or persona would make you popular leader, attract people. This is when you become vulnerable to people and give sanctity a miss.
  • Your high confidence level could invariably bring in you arrogance.
  • Your high ownership on your functions would prompt you to work in a silo, be solo (not a team player) and defensive.
  • Your high communication skills could lend you love for your own voice and make you a poor listener.
  • If you enjoy great managerial courage, you may risk great conflicts.
  • If you are very strategic and shrewd, you would be tempted to play politics and games.
  • If you are compassionate and decent, you would be on edge of losing assertiveness and decisiveness.
  • If you are polite and lenient, it would be difficult for you to gather managerial courage.
  • If you are very bold and outspoken, you would be on verge of being rude and lack empathy.
  • If you are highly charged or fast action oriented, you would be on brink of tripping and making mistakes.
  • If you are too intelligent, you could be too difficult.
  • If you are a genius, probability runs high for you being insane.
  • Not the last; yet Best of Beauties bring Worst of Perils.

So, how to be the Best and avoid getting into Worst?

  1. Read again the above carefully, which would make you conscious of which Best in you can bring what Worst to you? This would help you a lot to manage when you are at your Best.
  2. Wait for my next Post next Week.

Comments

21 responses to “Why the Best in you can potentially bring the Worst for you…”

  1. Maria Avatar
    Maria

    this is true, its something like i believe, sometimes ur greatest strength can be your greatest weakness……. if u think about it, it is true….nice post 🙂

    1. murli Avatar

      I highly appreciate your feedback and view. Thanks!

      I would counsel that please look at deeper meaning in this post – it is “positive or right quality” turning “negative quality“, which is far more damaging and difficult! But, this is a fact in the most of lives.

  2. Rudra Avatar
    Rudra

    One of your best posts by-far… agree with your “Familiar living examples” who weren’t able to make it BIG through-out, or should I say, they didn’t play the game consistently well enough and found themselves back on ground-zero.

    To carry your article’s caption forward… I would like to add that to be a successful persona throughout your lifetime; you should know how to perform best within your limitations. At the peak, having achieved everything, if you want to be somebody else and take your personal success for granted, you’re gone for all money and these 5 personalities in your post are probably the best examples in-front of us.

    “Achieving” something is not important… what’s important is how you ‘manage’ your achievements.

    Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher, Jackie Chan, Vladimir Putin, Hu Jinta… to name a few who, according to me, have played it safe and have a spotless reflection so far… why?? Because they’ve been performing within their limitations, or as you would say, they did not let their ‘best’ bring the worst in them!! 🙂

    Good compilation!!
    Cheers!! 🙂

    1. murli Avatar

      Thanks a lot for your inputs and good thoughts with examples! The biggest challenge, which the most at the peak of their performance or while at their best face is that they do not believe that they have limitations and this is when they break prudential or sane limits.

    2. Vikram Patil Avatar
      Vikram Patil

      Michael Schumacher… Vladimir Putin.. ?!?!

  3. Alok Khatlawala Avatar
    Alok Khatlawala

    So true. I believe that understanding the fine differences between Emotion, Passion and Obsession can help us lead a much enjoyable and fulfilling life – both personally as well as professionally.
    Great article. Keep them coming…

    1. murli Avatar

      Very aptly stated on the fine differences! Many thanks for your feedback.

  4. VishalR Avatar
    VishalR

    Is it really possible or practical to control these qualities? I think yes. If I see them from different angle and from all sides, I observed that the surrounding and the situation most of the time decides your behavior and qualities you exhibit.
    It’s more of situational based. Isn’t it?
    For me the problem area is “uncontrolled emotions” which many time act as a media for qualities transition from +ve to -ve
    Positive quality” –> Uncontrolled emotions –> Negative quality
    It is hard to control the emotion but I think that we can get it by practice. I personally fail to control it most of time. I hope one day I will be able to control it.
    Is there any other way, by which we can control them?

    1. murli Avatar

      Thanks a lot for your comments and views!

      Is it right that given the same surrounding and situation, two or more people would not show same behavior and qualities? So, what drive your behavior (please see on last week’s 4 posts on leadership) are your ideas or thoughts. Many allow consciously or unconsciously their ideas or thoughts getting influenced by surrounding or situations and others do not. Therefore, it is up to us, how we want to respond or behave.

      Since you are conscious of your uncontrolled emotions, you would control it one day. We can talk on this more separately.

  5. rajesh s Avatar
    rajesh s

    Great article. Examples explain it all. Amazing to ponder and realise that excessive belief in self qualities can potentially lead to downward fall.

    1. murli Avatar

      Very well said and understood; thanks a lot!

      1. Mallikarjuna Rao Avatar
        Mallikarjuna Rao

        Great Article…..look forward for more….keep them coming.

        1. murli Avatar

          I highly appreciate your feedback! Will try my Best to remain up to your expectations.

  6. Nisha Avatar
    Nisha

    Very good article with perfect observations. Please keep posting good stuff.

    1. murli Avatar

      I am very thankful to you for your apt and encouraging feedback! Would do my best to meet your wish.

  7. Vikram Patil Avatar
    Vikram Patil

    Thoughts are definitely worth considering, sir!!! I would put it as need for balance. Nature is greatest example of balance. Your “best” and “worst” examples could be thought of as balancing out of excesses happening on one side (Best) with reactions on the other (worst).

    1. murli Avatar

      Thanks for your comments and views.

      Nature no doubt does a balancing act; but in this case, Worst in not inevitable, when one is at the Best. Please have a look at my next week’s post.

  8. Mandar Thosar Avatar

    Thanks for the tip at the end of the article. I was wondering how the best within me can bring the worst for me. But then I realized the word ‘potentially’ which indicates the chance of happening it, if I don’t pay attention and keep my best qualities in control.

    In Marathi, there’s a saying which means any extreme is bad. This article reminds me of that.

    If you don’t use your best sensibly then you may not get best results.

    1. murli Avatar

      Many thanks for your comments and understanding. Yes, Worst is not inevitable, when you are at your Best. Since you more or most vulnerable at your Best, managing that is all the more crucial!

  9. Kaushik Avatar
    Kaushik

    This is a great post and so true as exemplified with real life personae. I think great success or achievement should associate with even a greater sense of responsibilty to maintain level headedness. This is the reason that some great people have still prevented their downfall after reaching the pinnacle of glory in their career….

    1. murli Avatar

      Your comments are highly appreciated. Thanks for adding your intelligent counsel and views.

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