Recently, we spent an entire Saturday working in the yard, around the house, inside the house, you name it we painted it, caulked it, trimmed it, or cleaned it. During that weekend of work it struck me when you need a win, sometimes you need to look outside of your business.
You see, we set out to do the work around the house because we wanted to teach the kids how to do some of that work, giving them some additional life skills they can rely on, and we knew how to do the work and figured it would be easier than hiring someone. Now, we did try to get our yard guy to help us with the trees but he was unavailable, which is why that specific task landed in our laps. Nonetheless, we got the work done and we all felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. It was nice.
You know, as business leaders we push ourselves to get wins in our business. But there are times that we can’t go at the pace we have set for ourselves. Sometimes our work or the work we need to get done is dependent upon someone else on the team, an outside vendor, etc. Instead of finding peace with that perspective and moving the deadline, sometimes we can get into that “check the box mode” where we say, “Nope! I am going to hit that deadline.”
When that happens, it’s usually because we need to feel that win in our lives. We need to feel accomplished like we are making a difference, or like we are controlling what we can control. If you are facing that right now, realize that pushing through and delivering to a deadline because you committed to doing so, unless it’s a deadline for a customer or an employee, isn’t one you want to power through. You need to remember that you are in business not simply be in business and hit deadlines. You are in business because you want to serve a customer, solve a problem, care for the team you have created, or fundamentally serve your personal “why,” which is usually your family. If your push to deliver or achieve is to serve one of those reasons, fine. If it isn’t, then you are simply trying to achieve for the wrong reasons.
When that happens, look outside of your business to get the win. Do not turn into the machine that simply gets work done. Remember what matters and get a win somewhere else so you can come back, look at your business, and make the best decisions for the right reasons.
Be Legendary!