Good Enough?

Good Enough Is Not Good Enough!

Think that you’re good enough?

Now, to be clear, I’m not asking this question because I believe that you may have a nagging little voice in your head that might be terrorizing you with self-doubt or insecurity.  In fact, if you are prone to that kind of self-talk, I may be able to help you flip the script through some leadership coaching. But, that’s not the intent of this piece.

Rather, I’m writing about those of us that might be apt to rest on our past successes. You know who you might be; you have become all too comfortable using earlier work as a means of proving that you’re somehow contributing enough today to continue to warrant the “followership” that was earned through your past achievements. 

If that’s where your mindset is today, I have a message for you:

Don’t believe your own hype!

Indeed, there’s always ways to get better.

As a leader, it’s absolutely your job and responsibility to help everybody understand this difficult truth. To be sure, it’s your primary responsibility to inspire your people to always do their best and to seek to achieve desired outcomes in the most efficient and expeditious way possible.

So, don’t be afraid to set the example and push past the notion of “good enough.”

Need some ideas for ways to do it? Not a problem, simply be sure to regularly:

• Ask yourself some “what’s next” questions: By asking yourself these kinds of questions on a regular basis, you keep your primary responsibilities top-of-mind:
  • What’s the next thing I can do as a leader to help this organization achieve its vision for the future?
  • What’s the next thing I can do for my team to help them surpass all of their own expectations?
  • What is next for me?

• Ask your team some questions, too: Ask these kinds of questions on a regular basis. It can do wonders on performance, while improving the esprit de corps within the team:
  • Is there a better way to do this?
  • Is there a faster way to do this?
  • Is there a way to do something more economically?
  • Can we satisfy the customer in a different way today than we did yesterday?

• Do what others are unwilling to do: A willingness to do the “tough stuff” not only sets you apart from others, but, the work is almost always unbelievably challenging (if it weren’t then everyone would be doing it) and serves to help you to grow, develop new skills and increase your confidence to take-on new challenges as they arise.

To close

This all may seem too simplistic to be meaningful. But, before you give into any kind of easy cynicism, give the advice a try. I know that it works and I know that it will work for you, too! Truly, it is how you can keep it fresh, it is how you can keep your team excited and engaged, it is how you can blow past the notion of good enough.

If you need some help with engagement, please reach out. I welcome the opportunity to assist you in anyway that I can.