What are you recognized as being “the best” at?

The answer to this question may be the most important in your career. Not just for your job, but to advance your life and yourself.

Think about the people you admire. They’re probably people you like to (or, would like to) hang around. If you admire some sports celebrity or some screen star, it’s because of their talent. It’s because they’re “best” at what they do. They’ve become attractive because of their talent — and so can you.

Behind all people who have great talent is an ethic of hard work, dedication and practice. Once they achieve their “best” status, their success follows — and so can yours.

As you attempt to advance your career, the key element is how good you are at what you do. If you want to get to the top of the ladder, develop the top talent you need to move up each step. A ladder is the metaphor most often used, because becoming best is a step-by-step process. (Otherwise they would have used an elevator as the metaphor.)

Early in my career, a mentor taught me about experts. He said there were three kinds of experts: an expert, a world-class expert and THE world-class expert.

That was February 1994. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to become “the BEST” — THE world-class expert — at what I do.

What’s your mission?

If you’re in sales, how you become recognized by others will determine not only how they treat you, but also how they’re willing to interact with you, build relationships with you, buy from you, be loyal to you, refer others to you and give testimonials for you. If your customers do not consider you the best, then they will try their best to lower your price, or simply buy from someone else.

It’s no different in any other job function. Your level of perceived expertise will determine how others interact with you and how others treat you.

I have become the best at what I do by reading, thinking, observing, speaking and writing. So can you.

Most people are focused on doing their job, getting in good with their boss, making their monthly quotas, increasing annual revenues, completing a project, getting a raise, maybe making the president’s club. All of those are OK goals. But none of them have the word “best” at their core.

Are you the best in your company at what you do? If you’re not, how come? Or an even harder question, “What are you doing about it?”

By the way, best doesn’t only apply to your job or your profession. Best also applies to your role as friend, dad or mom, husband or wife.

If you’re doing your best, eventually you’ll become the best. You may not see your own growth because you’re too close to it. But take a moment and look back over the last few years. Have you grown? Have you gotten better?

The answer is probably yes. But the real question is: “To what degree?” Could you have done more? Did you only do what you had to do to get by?

Here’s an easier way to ask that question: “Which did you spend more time at: reading or watching television?”

I doubt that you’ll ever win an award as ”Best Damn Television Watcher in Town.” (Even though you may be qualified.)

The reason “best” is elusive is that at its core is hard work.

And as you read this, if you’re doing the “dance of justification” (telling yourself how great you are, or “could have been better if it wasn’t for…”), you’re only denying yourself the opportunity to move from satisfaction to success to fulfillment.

The satisfied ones always make it by.

The good ones are always successful.

The best are always fulfilled.

If you’re looking for the best job, the easiest way to get it is by being the BEST person.

At the core of being best is your philosophy. You probably don’t have one — but if you’d like to see a copy of mine, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time user, and type the word PHILOSOPHY in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of “The Sales Bible” and “The Little Red Book of Selling,” is president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Buy Gitomer. He gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com.