All Men Are Created Equal

All men are created equal. That’s a laugh. Try playing one-on-one with Michael Jordan, or enter a political contest with the President.

The idea that all men are created equal has been around for thousands of years, but does that make it true? In fact, all men aren’t even men. About half of them are women. But seriously, do you really believe we were all created equal?

So how ‘bout it? Can you go head-to-head with Michael? Tiger? Spar with Einstein about the nature of the universe? 

Clearly certain human characteristics are embedded in all our DNA. Now that’s not to say that through hard work and perseverance we can’t all achieve great things, and so often we hear the incredible success stories of how one person or another rose above great limitations to achieve something extraordinary.

There’s Kyle Maynard, who was born without hands or forearms who became a champion wrestler in high school. There’s J.K. Rowling, who was a secretary before she wrote Harry Potter. Probably each one of us even has our own personal story of overcoming some limitation, a small miracle performed to make up for some shortfall or “inequality.”

Heart Can Make the Difference
The movie Rudy came out in 1993, and I highly recommend you see it. Rudy Ruettiger was one of 14 children from a small town in Illinois. He was 5’6” but dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame.

If you know the story, you know that Rudy eventually did make Notre Dame’s practice squad, a group of guys who get “worked over” day after day by the starters. That in and of itself was a huge accomplishment, because Rudy had to beat out much larger, faster and stronger players to get that job. He had the heart.

For two years, Rudy worked out with one of the greatest teams in football history, but he never got a chance to suit up for a game – not until the very end anyway. It turned out that Rudy’s coach did ask him to suit up for the very last game of his senior year. With 27 seconds left in the game, Notre Dame up by more than a touchdown, the coach sent Rudy in, as the crowd yelled “Rudy,” “Rudy,” “Rudy.”

People in South Bend Indiana at the time knew the story of Rudy, and about

his desire. They watched him as he, on the last play of the game, broke through the line and sacked the quarterback of the opposing team. The fighting Irish players put Rudy on their shoulders and carried him off the field. In the history of Notre Dame, no player has ever been carried off the field by his teammates.
As inspiring as Rudy’s story is, Rudy never had a chance at football greatness. Despite all the programming of Hollywood, which makes it seem like anything is possible for anyone, Rudy was not equal to the other players. But he did accomplish a great feat nonetheless.

Who is To Say What is Better?
Look at these two numbers: which is better? - 76 or 92
The answer? It depends. If you’re playing golf, 76 is certainly a better score than 92. But if you’re playing basketball, then 92 is better. It’s all relative to the objective.

When I was in college I was disappointed that I wasn’t taller than I am. But later, when I was stationed on a US Navy nuclear-powered submarine, I came to realize that taller wasn’t always better. It might be better for Michael Jordan, but not for me.

Even today, spending over 50 percent of my time on the road traveling by commercial airline, I’m often thankful for my limited height. No I’m not equal to Jordan on the basketball court, but there are a few things I can probably do better than he can. In any case, neither Michael nor I am “better” than the other, but at the same time we’re surely not equal.

Some say that all people are different, or not equal, for a purpose: that within some grand scheme, each of us has a particular destiny to fulfill. Each has a reason why we’re here, and that reason can be as seemingly small at the time as putting diapers on the next president of the United States.

Or it could seem as insignificant as helping to redirect one life, but that life ends up touching millions in some positive way. We are yet to understand how one life influences another, or why certain people are brought together into families and organizations.

Different Folks for Different Tasks
What we do know is that each person has a unique profile of likes, dislikes and abilities. Some have higher IQs, others lower. Some are smarter emotionally or socially than others. Some prefer to work alone and others in teams. No one is better. We’re just different and, therefore, suited for different tasks.
Just ask Rudy Ruettiger, who now makes his living writing and speaking to sales organizations and youth groups. As badly as he wanted it, and as much as he accomplished, football just wasn’t it for Rudy.

Did I mention Rudy also struggled with dyslexia and graduated third in his high school class, from the bottom?

Bringing it Back to Your Business
In business, we should know that everyone is unique and has something of value to offer. If more managers understood this, there would be less trying to fit square pegs into round holes. And there would be more opening of pathways for people to do what they’re passionate about.

If more employees felt a deeper sense of uniqueness, and felt valued for it by management, they would probably take more pride in their work. It’s amazing what people accomplish when they believe they’re doing what they are “meant to do.”

So before you go thinking that we’re all created equal, think again. We’re not, and we’re all better off for it.