Relentless by Tim Grover and Shari Wenk— not who I want to be, but I appreciate the profile

It has been a very busy, last couple weeks. However, I did manage to listen to the book Relentless by Tim Grover and Shari Wenk twice (thanks to my 7 hour drives from NY to Virginia Beach). I also started the book Blue Ocean Strategy thanks to a post by @Oscar Castro. More on that book at a later date when I finish.

I listened to Relentless twice because after the first time I came away wondering if I agree with his premise about being relentless. What I was really questioning was the mindset and how it would impact my life and interactions with others if I adopted some of his recommendations. Tim is coming from the perspective of training elite basketball players (e.g., Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan) and the mindset that he and his players have to be relentless. He talks about these players (and he believes, himself) as being “Cleaners” (a strange term that I have a hard time remembering). He compares Cleaners to “Closers” and “Coolers” and the mindsets of each of these. He seems to want the reader to believe that Cleaners are the “best” when it comes to getting things done and making things happen. However, he also seems to acknowledge (implicitly) that they do most things on their own and it is all about them, which puts teamwork and support for others and caring and other things like that as not very important (at least to a Cleaner).

I know there are people like this in the world, and it is good we have those people. They are self-centered and driven to succeed as individuals, and that is who they are. They have little time for Closers and Cleaners unless they can help the Cleaner achieve their goals. And they always want more, so they win and move on (next) and win and move on, never doing much celebration about a current win. They are never satisfied with their success.

This is not who I want to be, but I appreciate the book in that it gives me an understanding of the mindset of this type of person. They could be part of a team that does great things if you give them enough freedom to operate. They bring the rest of the team up to a level that may not be possible if they weren’t there. But I don’t plan to put his approach into practice in my life. To me relentless is to be consistent in my pursuit of my goals and to be always on the lookout for the thing that will move me closer to the completion of those goals. Along the way I plan to be kind and caring and supportive so that I have a strong bond with people I interact with. I plan to celebrate my wins, and the wins of those that are close to me. And I plan to stop and smell the roses along the way because that is what keeps me balanced and sane and gives me the ability to wonder. That is valuable to me.