Whether in real life or online, we’ll encounter all kinds of people. Some will lift us up and be reliable. Others will drag us down while injecting chaos into our lives. There are people who will play important roles in our lives, most aren’t. There are times when we pretend to be better than we are, or downplay what we bring to the table. You won’t achieve success with the wrong people around you. And you can’t maintain any long-term success without the right mindset.
Numbers vs. Value
I was reading about a 5-man instance in World of Warcraft. It’s a small team challenge where five players work together to defeat enemies. The final damage output looked like this:
Rogue = 2100
Warlock = 1900
Hunter = 1700
Prot Warrior = 900
Holy Paladin = 25
Which one was the best player? Most people would say the Rogue because the Rogue did the most damage. Unfortunately, that’s a narrow-minded way of looking at things. It’s also the wrong answer.
What if I told you the Rogue stole aggro on half the pulls? (Aggro is the enemy the player is focused on attacking. The tank is supposed to control this, not the damage dealers.)
What if the Rogue refused to sap the correct target? (Sap is a Rogue ability that disables an enemy before the fight starts.)
What if the Rogue rolled need on every boss drop, trying to grab all the rewards?
Now what if I told you the Hunter consistently trapped mobs that got loose? Ran toward the healer, protecting the most vulnerable teammate?
What if the Hunter never Multi-Shot enemies that were CC’d (crowd controlled, abilities that stuns or restrict enemies), showing discipline and awareness?
What if the Hunter offered a feast every time someone died, supporting the team with resources and morale?
As a tank who often puts together and leads instance runs, I’d take the Hunter anytime they wanted to run. I’d add the Rogue to my NotesUNeed list under “Avoid.” (NotesUNeed is/was a player tool that lets you tag other players’ names. Basically a personal blacklist.)
Even though the Rogue did the most damage, the Hunter brought more value to the group.
What This Means for You
The same principle applies beyond gaming. Online, in your career, numbers or appearances can be deceiving. True value comes from behavior, integrity, and teamwork.
What kind of person are you in your day-to-day life? Are you the Rogue who shows up half-hearted, not making a real effort? Are you the pain in the ass who does good work but takes advantage of people and situations?
Are you the person who claims you have a particular set of skills you don’t actually have? Are you creating chaos behind the scenes?
Or are you the Hunter who sees what needs to be done and does it effectively? Are you knowledgeable in your field, accomplish your goals, go out of your way to make everyone around you better?
You can fake skill or success for a while, but eventually your actions tell the truth. The Rogue’s story doesn’t change until they recognize their behavior and stop doing it consistently.
Are you chasing numbers or appearances while making things harder for everyone else? Or do you combine competence with responsibility and integrity?
Which person are you, really?
📌 Changelog
- December 11, 2025: Changed the formatting and re-wrote some sections to improve the flow.Â
- March 4, 2009: Date article was originally published.
