Are you more of a Sammy or a Johnny?

Sad about the passing of Johnny Carson. He was a classy guy, straight through to the end, and one of my favorite TV-Guys, along with the likes of him, Ed Sullivan, Dick Van Dyke, Sonny Fox (his Sunday morning show, "Wonderama," was a staple for kids growing up in the New York area, just as Ray Rayner's show used to be for Chicagoans).

Sad about Sammy Sosa, too. He didn't die, but his career as one of the Chicago Cubs certainly did. His fall from grace has been fast and hard. And he handled it very, VERY, poorly - just like all those low-and-outside curve balls he'd swing at and miss for Strike Three over and over (and over) again.

I thought I might compare these two mega-star icons across a few business-success dimensions:

Skills - Where Johnny worked to keep his skills in top form and retired before any decay was really noticed, Sammy resorted to corking his bats and who-knows what else and still couldn't keep his key numbers from going down-down-down.

Ego - Where Johnny kept his ego in check notwithstanding his amazing success, Sammy seemed to think his success entitled him to be bigger than the game itself.

Collaboration - Where Johnny showed total respect for all he worked with, Sammy literally walked out on his teammates before the season was through.

Reputation - Where Johnny's reputation continued to grow over time, Sammy's has tanked - so much so, that he and the Cubs are doing all they can to get him out of town, out of the National League, and out of each other's lives, ASAP.

Say so - Where Johnny was able to choreograph his career to the very end, Sammy's voice has become insignificant in determining his next career move.

I could go on, but I think this is enough to put some context on asking you the following questions:

• Are the leaders in your organization more like Johnny or Sammy?
• Are YOU more like Johnny or Sammy?
• What are you specifically doing to improve your skills?
• What are you specifically doing to keep your ego in check?
• What are you specifically doing to collaborate more effectively?

How you answer these questions - and the one's related to them - will determine, in large part, not just your own reputation, but the amount of say so you have in choreographing your own future. So by all means, do take a few moments to flesh them out. And if you'd like some help with that, you know how to reach me.