We all know those people who just basically do the core things required of the job. And yet, when we put ourselves in a state of assuming that we will do nothing short of excellence, we stand out. Not only that, we make a difference in people’s lives, we get noticed, we feel good about ourselves, and we go home. And yet, most people are trying to figure out how can they get away with the least amount possible, as opposed to, “how can I be a standard for excellence going above and beyond always, “plus-oneing” everything that I do, always making sure everything is accurate and perfect and above and beyond.” It’s an interesting way to live, isn’t it?
Archive for the ‘Workplace Performance’ Category
Doing Just Enough is Never Enough
Monday, November 7th, 2022How would your higher self handle this?
Monday, October 31st, 2022Maybe you already know the biggest problem that’s going to hit you today. When it does, have a conversation with yourself. How would my higher self handle this?
Let’s see. My higher self probably wouldn’t get explosive. My higher self probably wouldn’t start running for the hills. My higher self would probably say: “This will need some resourcefulness. I guess I’d better get my game on here, because I’m going to have to solve this.”
(more…)Close enough is rarely good enough
Monday, October 10th, 2022When I graduated from college to start my first job, one of the things that I had to learn was how to be accurate. In college, they let you get by with things. You don’t have to check your work. If you are close enough, that’s good enough.
I discovered very quickly in that first job that people count on everything we do being 100% accurate. That was a brutal new reality for which I wasn’t the least bit prepared.
(more…)Everything is figureoutable
Monday, October 3rd, 2022To quote Bruce Wayne from Batman: “Everything is impossible until someone does it.” That’s not just advice for superheroes—that’s how it is in the workplace.
There are many impossible things that need to be done, yet they’re impossible until someone does them. So, why couldn’t it be you who does it, who breaks through to the possible?
(more…)Eradicate the “n’t” Words
Monday, September 5th, 2022Speak into what can be done, and don’t tell us what can’t be done. I refer to those words as the “n’t” words: “don’t, won’t, can’t.” Those are the words that basically hold us back.
Imagine for a second that someone says either “I can have those papers to you on Thursday” or “I can’t have those papers to you until Thursday.” You know which one sounds better, and you know which person you want to be around. And yet, it’s very unconscious for us to go into the “n’t” words. As soon as we do, the fur goes up on the back of people’s necks. They see you as not willing to be a team player.
Not only that, it’s a way that you can inspire yourself to greater results. Whenever you step into what you can do and use that language, you become more powerful in what you can make happen.
So, eradicate the “n’t” words, and start telling your team what you can do.