You can’t read or watch the news without getting caught up in New York Knicks’ sensation Jeremy Lin who went from being a virtual unknown a month ago–sleeping on his brother’s sofa–to leading the Knicks in scoring game after game.

Over the weekend, I caught an interview with Lin’s former coach and scout at Harvard, Bill Holden, who gave some insight in what he saw in young Yin.

Ironically, the first time Holden watched Lin play, Holden wasn’t impressed. In his words,

“…the reason for that was it wasn’t a very good game to evaluate, the opponent that he played against was not a very strong opponent, it just wasn’t a good overall game to get to see him play. I actually got very lucky in the sense that I saw him a day or two later in another gym, and Jeremy was playing a very high level A.A.U. game against a team that was very competitive, had several Division I athletes, a lot of college coaches were watching, and Jeremy was just playing like a totally different player.”

Here’s a performance tip for you: If you want to get better, surround yourself with those who elevate your level of play. Many immature athletes, employees, students, and general participants in life feel comforted with they surround themselves with inferiors. Face it: we can look very tall when we line up next to pygmies. But that is not a recipe for real growth. Rather, when we only “play” with poor or mediocre performers, we get lazy and dull.

Become Lin-Sanely good at what you do. Get into the game, your job, and life by joining those who stretch you to new heights, not those who coddle your self-esteem by excepting your average.