What does first look like?

There are occasions in life when someone states their objective is to be first. When my children came home from their exams and I asked them how they had done the answer “Ok I was the first one finished” didn’t always fill me with confidence. Rory McIlroy is well known for finishing first. In the course of a golf competition he will play around 270 shots and will win by 1 or 2. That’s a difference of less than 1% between being first and second. That 1% will at times be genius or just sheer talent. But, having the talent to make that 1 shot count doesn’t matter in the race to be first unless the other 99% is right. Rory started to get the 99% right many years ago, people will remember him as a young boy chipping golf balls into a washing machine on the Gerry Kelly show. That’s when Rory got his first 5% or 10% right. On occasions I hear the desire expressed to be first in local government but like Rory and golf being first in local government will depend on getting the basics right. When we have done 99% of what needs to be done and its done well enough then we will be in a position to be considered for first, that is the time to consider the last 1%. Until then being first is only a distraction.

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