Leadership Thought #443 – Leaders Need To Keep Raising The Bar of What’s Possible

Leadership Thought #443 – Leaders Need To Keep Raising The Bar of What’s Possible

Leaders must learn to become adept at raising the bar on performance.

Being good at something for a period of time and achieving sustained success are two different things. If you are not careful, short-term success can lead to long-term complacency. Once you’ve scaled the mountain, start looking for the next peak or challenge. Do not spend too long enjoying the view from the top. I constantly see it: leaders who once had high standards and big dreams start lowering their expectations and/or getting distracted by other things. They begin to spend more time enjoying the fruits of their success than planting the next crop to harvest. Of course, you should bask in the glow of your accomplishments and take some time to appreciate what it feels like to win. However, never forget what it took to get you there.

Leaders, like organizations, have natural life cycles. You need to reinvent yourself every 5-7 years to avoid becoming obsolete or outdated in your thinking. Decline often starts without you even knowing it. The changes are subtle. While the numbers don’t immediately plummet, they do begin to stagnate or slow down. Management meetings become about rationalizing why things are the way they are rather than pushing the company to excel. Your zone of tolerance begins to expand ever so slightly. Rather than being challenges to overcome, obstacles begin to feel like annoyances. You start to compromise on the people you hire, rather than maintaining a consistently high standard. You focus on petty issues rather than maintaining a laser focus on the big picture and your competitive advantage. Your energy level begins to wane slightly. You start to develop a greater penchant for leisure activities.

Leaders must always maintain their edge. There is a big difference between 85% and 100% of your best effort. Additionally, your employees are a reflection of you and what you tolerate. One sign you notice is that employees may become disengaged, focusing more on leaving work on time and taking full advantage of their breaks. People in management and leadership positions start to enjoy the rewards of their status a bit too much. The chatter around the office becomes increasingly focused on internal political issues, personal status, and trivial matters rather than core business concerns. Everyone becomes overly accustomed to the current situation and is resistant to change. Ultimately, your “A” players start to notice all of those factors and begin to leave for greener pastures that will maximize their potential and upside.

Ironically, success can become your enemy. It’s much more difficult to defend the top position than to pursue the market or industry leader. In addition, having too much capital can often be just as detrimental as having too little. You may lose your creativity and stifle innovation. To counteract this, many large companies begin acquiring smaller ones. They hope to find inspiration elsewhere; it rarely works. As long as there is a market opportunity, your leadership work is never done. Yield the competitive field to no one and continually embrace what made you outstanding in the first place. Winning in business isn’t just about making money. It’s about expanding the definition (for others and yourself) of what’s possible when you commit to personal and professional excellence.

Leaders need to keep raising the bar of what’s possible!

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