The basic formula for success in life and work is simple. Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it, and do it well. Commit to your commitments. It isn’t that hard, or at least it shouldn’t be. However, it feels as if our societal priorities have shifted to value the concerns of the individual much more than what he/she contributes to others.
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.
All we can do in life is our best. This doesn’t mean we must be perfect because no one ever is. Moreover, working harder isn’t always the answer. If you’re not careful, you may push yourself to burnout and diminishing returns. You also need to be cautious about getting too caught up in comparing yourself with the actions of others. They have their own set of issues to deal with, and we often inflate the capabilities of our competitors and colleagues.
I don’t know when the shift started in my lifetime, but we have changed from a nation that gets results to one that accepts a lack of performance and then bemoans our lack of progress. You see evidence of this everywhere you turn: 1) structural economic issues that never get fully addressed; 2) traffic problems that never get solved; 3) infrastructure needs that are constantly put off until there is a crisis; 4) schools that turn out less than stellar results; 5) a widening gap between the wealthy and everyone else; 6) a health care system that is broken and too costly to maintain; and 7) wars that are started but never end, etc. Each group of leaders claims they are doing their best given the circumstances and/or blames their opponents for not doing their part. They then have the gall to rant about our “exceptionalism.” It is a vicious, non-productive, and self-deluding cycle.
You should care about your employees and consciously strive to build an environment where they thrive and feel supported. However, never allow them or you to get comfortable with the idea that the good of the company or requirements of their position are secondary to the needs of the business.
I’ve been in many organizations in my professional career. In each instance, I’ve always come across a leader or management team who has a grand vision of the future and what’s possible. There are no shortage of ideas of what could be done and what should get fixed. I wholeheartedly believe that most people want to do a good job and make a positive contribution. It’s rare when you meet someone in a leadership position who shows up to work each day expecting to fail yet sadly it happens on a regular basis. There is often a disconnect between what people know should happen and what actually gets accomplished. We’ve grown far too accustomed to performance mediocrity and lowering our expectations.
Leadership can be a delicate balancing act. You want to push your people to achieve high performance and exceed what they thought was possible, while also appreciating that you hire employees and people show up with all of their human needs for understanding and support. If you push too hard they resent you and find you harsh and uncaring. If you don’t push hard enough then you enable mediocrity and stunt their growth. It’s not always easy to know where the line exists.
I know a lot of people get tired of sports metaphors for business and life, but they can still sometimes ring true. Everything Aaron did well is applicable in our personal and professional lives. I didn’t really have a horse in this race as a fan. I just wanted to see a good game and my expectations were exceeded. We also observed one of the best leadership performances I can remember in a long time on a football field (and during the two weeks leading up to the game).
You are the Chief Accountability Officer. If you are unhappy with the level of performance in your company, look in the mirror first. The culture of an organization almost always assumes the strongest characteristics of its leader (both good and bad).
Your own ego can be your biggest obstacle to success in a group context; don’t worry about who gets the credit or speaks the most, rather focus on generating the best ideas and getting results.