Don’t Be Afraid to Be Known as the Best of the Best

Being the best at work is a matter of selectivity and exclusivity. Think about Army Special Forces (Green Berets), Navy SEALs, Marine Reconnaissance, and Air Force Special Operations Command. These military groups are meant to be the best of the best, and they maintain a reputation that is strikingly impressive—their esprit de corps, the powerful ethic of service and sacrifice, the confidence and skill.

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What is common among them, and any “best of the best” team, is their identity as a group comes precisely from the fact that they exclude others. In other words, who they are is not everybody else—the people who didn’t make the cut.

Selectivity and exclusivity are built into the very DNA of these organizations. Their training and qualification programs require a special application process with a low acceptance rate. Once accepted, trainees are put through an incredibly rigorous schedule of nonstop physical, mental, and emotional lessons, exercises, and tests.

The Hardest Part Is Getting In

Many organizations and teams are selective, exclusive, and rigorous with the intention of weeding out those who are unqualified or who only think they are serious about the required commitment. Think of McKinsey, which has among the most coveted and powerful consulting jobs anybody graduating from, say, Harvard, can hope to get. Or Enterprise Rent-A-Car, in which new employees are brought further and further on board with a 30-day test, a 60-day test, a 90-day test, and, finally, after 180 days, a test it used to call “the grill.”

It is often said about such elite organizations, “The hardest part is getting in.” It does take continued excellence to stay in. But it’s much easier to continue succeeding at such a high level in a group where there are no low performers whose gaps must be covered. Everybody is operating at such a high level, already above and beyond, that every member of the team inspires and assists the others every step of the way.

Those privileged enough to be part of such a group carry that reputation for high performance wherever they go, not to mention the knowledge, skill, experience, and muscle memory of operating at that level. Being a member of the best of the best—no matter what that group is within your organization—is certain to be a huge value add in your career.

Someone Always Rises to the Top, So Why Not You?

Being elite is all relative. Even within the most elite group, there is always the elite within the elite: The go-to people’s go-to person. Usually that person is the most reliable, the one who helps others get their needs met, on spec, on time, with minimal stress—every time. That person always brings their best to the table and brings out the best in others.

Why shouldn’t that person be you? If you are part of an elite group, bank everything you can from that experience. It sure makes it easier to perform at a high level when the culture supports that, because that’s what the culture is all about. Still, within that elite culture, where are you? In the front guard or the rear? Why not aim to be the elite within the elite? Be the go-to person on the go-to team. Be the person who is aligned up, down, sideways, and diagonally. The person who is known for great judgment and for going above and beyond, every chance they get.

If you are not yet part of an elite group, figure out what it takes and do everything you can to achieve it. The continuous improvement and skill-building will get you noticed and have huge benefits, even if you never gain full elite team membership.