The excitement of an overachievement can ruin the chances of the following run.
If the result was brilliant, why was it? What happened that made it so? Who was involved, what were the circumstances, what is likely to change? How similar is all of that to what will happen next?
All questions to answer before taking the overachievement at face value and decide that it is the new normal.
Companies talk a whole lot about individuals and they don’t talk enough about systems.
That person is not performing.
That lady is challenging.
That guy is always late.
That colleague never comes to the office.
That hire was a mistake.
And to be honest, if it happens once in a while, those statements might also be true.
But most companies spend too much time in what is not so different than gossiping, when often problems are in the way things are done, the way people are managed, the processes everyone is asked to follow.
There are multiple angles to the same story. And there are no sides to take.
Life happens in the middle, that’s where you need to learn to navigate.
Your sadness might be caused by another person’s insecurity.
Your fear might be caused by another person’s boldness.
Your silence might be caused by another person’s loneliness.
There are different angles to the same story. And the capacity to appreciate more than one of them will help you get past whatever it is that is holding you back.
I think there might be an opportunity there.
That’s a sentence that destroys focus, motivation, productivity. Because it is true, there probably is an opportunity here, there, and everywhere in between. And that’s not a good reason to pause and go pursue it.
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