Do We Want to Preserve Records?

Isn’t it great to have a record unbroken? Bob Beamon’s long-jump record (8.90m) set in Mexico City in 1968 stood the test of time for more than three decades. Baseball Hall of Fame, ‘Babe’ Ruth record of 60 home runs was unbroken until in 1961, baseball player Roger Maris hit 61 yet had it recognized only as a new category. In the film 61*, the asterisk suggested that it was not accomplished within a specific number of seasons, as Ruth did.

In 1961, baseball expanded its season from 154 games to 162, allowing weaker pitching into the major leagues and two New York Yankees teammates - Maris, and Mickey Mantle - to make an assault on the sport's ultimate record: Babe Ruth's 60 home runs. To raise the stakes, baseball commissioner Ford Frick announced any record set in the last eight games of the season wouldn't count toward the official record; records had to be achieved in 154 games; thus, Maris's record was 61*. Maris's record was fully acknowledged, ironically after his death, and his record was broken only about 37 years later.

Now, this is totally different from having an unblemished, winning streak. Streaks are a pattern of consecutive wins, and they can last for a sustained period until fatigue, stress, injury, or a stronger competitor beats you. Contrast the recent performance of tennis powerhouse Serena Williams, uber-sprinter Usain Bolt, and hurdler-king Liu Xiang. One lost her cool and her match; one has a highway named after him, and another is redeeming his grace after pulling out of the Olympic Games because of injury.

Singapore coach for weightlifting, Tan Howe Liang said that his biggest regret was that nobody had earned an Olympic medal for about 40 years since he bagged the nation’s only silver medal in Rome in 1964.

Recognition is a powerful tool of raising a person’s esteem. It validates what they have accomplished and encourages them to, perhaps, do more. In sports, recognition includes medals, finisher t-shirts, personal bests timings, podium-finishers, trophies, qualifying slots, pats on the back, congratulatory notes, handshakes, and interviews by the press. Breaking records is, ultimately, one of the highest forms of recognition one can receive for shifting the focus of attention.

In the celebrity world, biographies and bio-epics mark the arrival of one’s achievements and accomplishments, despite of one’s youth or maturity. Recently, The Beatles and their music were immortalized on a video game- is that preserving records of one of the most successful bands in music history? Dignitaries have flowers named after them. Having your face immortalised on a stamp is recognition. If you qualified for the Ironman triathlon world championships in Kona, Hawaii it means that you have broken your personal record to race with the best internationally.

Leadership Lessons: How do you crack records? What do you do to express your recognition of others? How can you break your own, records?