No Excuse Leadership
Leading an organization is hard work. Far too many things are outside your control, and circumstances all too often seem to line up against what you’re trying to achieve.
If Only…
If you’ve been in a position of leadership for any length of time, you’ve experienced the feeling of ‘if only’.
I could make my sales target… if only…
We could release products faster… if only…
You know the drill – things we can’t control make achieving our goals vastly more difficult, if not impossible. It’s frustrating because we know full well that we’re capable of achieving the goal.
If.
If it weren’t for this, this… thing that stands between me and success. If it weren’t for that…
Winners don’t plan to fail
One thing I’ve noticed – winners plan to win.
And the ironic thing is that we rarely hear about the obstacles winners face on their way to victory. We just see them win, because that’s what they do. It’s in their DNA.
Obstacles are challenges for winners and excuses for losers
Marijane Meaker
No Excuses Leadership
True leaders don’t make excuses, and they aren’t the victim of circumstances. For leaders, obstacles are simply challenges that must be overcome on the path to where they’re going.
Winners:
- Believe they will achieve their goals
- Learn along the way
- Are willing to put in the effort required
- Recognize and value the skills others have that they do not
- Get back up after falling down
- Adapt rapidly to changing circumstances
- Focus their energy on things in their control
- Frequently aren’t the smartest or most talented, but rather the hardest working
- Don’t compare their situation to others
- View every situation as an opportunity to move forward (even setbacks and failures!)
- Allow themselves to make mistakes as they strive to improve
- Find ways to turn liabilities into assets
- Bring others along with them
- Know which obstacles must be overcome and which should be maneuvered around.
What’s your excuse?
How about you. Are you a winner or a whiner?
The good news is, winners are winners because they choose to be. Every day they choose to continue their drive toward excellence. It’s a daily choice that each of us get to make.
And in so doing, they inspire others. Not because they try to, but because their dedication to excellence is so rare, they stand out in a sea of mediocrity.
I’ll leave you with this:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit
Aristotle