It was only 18 months ago, when the world as we knew it took a sudden turn. Businesses were shut down, people were confined to their homes, the elderly and the sick were isolated. Initially told to “shelter-in-place” for two weeks, it didn’t take long for people to begin clamoring for “things to return to normal.”
Since then, we have moved through phases of “can’t wait until we don’t have to wear masks anymore” to “I wish everyone would wear a mask” to “I wish they would come up with a vaccine” to “I got my vaccine” and now “I wish everyone would get a vaccine.”
Of course, along the way, there has always been opposition. Each side believing, the world will be a better place, things will become smoother and easier, if everyone else would just do something different.
Too often, individuals think things will be better if others will change. This is true in the workplace, social settings, and even in our homes! Sound familiar?
I recently worked with an organization going through a transition. My role was to develop the leaders, as part of a succession plan. The owner desired to be an absentee owner. She wanted to continue to receive monthly income to maintain her quality of life without having the stress, and commitment of running her business on a day-to-day basis.
The leaders were leery about the owner’s motives. They questioned whether they should be putting in extra effort to learn more and grow. They didn’t believe the owner would step away and allow them to run the business.
I share with you, what I shared with them. We all have doubts. I explained I work on the belief people are going to do what they say they will do. Operating on this belief has presented me with some disappointments. However, the critical point is, whether the people do what they say they will do isn’t important to what you do. Everything you do should be to make you better tomorrow. I said, even if she changes her mind, the time I spent helping to develop you as leaders, improves my skills. I become better for my next opportunity to develop leaders.
I went on to encourage them to continue becoming better leaders. Even if she changes her mind, they will have become better at what they do. They will be better prepared for their next opportunity. They will be better prepared if they decide to go into business for themselves. I inspired them to become better leaders for themselves and to take their boss out of the equation.
This same principle applies to individuals trying to achieve goals. Achieving or missing a goal isn’t as important as who you become in the process. Imagine you desire to win someone’s affection and you know in order to do so you will have to become a better person. As you work on yourself, becoming the person you desire to be, even if you never win the person’s affection, the fact you become a better person makes all the efforts worthwhile.
This past week, working with my own leadership team, we discussed and prepared to implement a new procedure. I walked out of our meeting feeling positive about the upcoming changes. To my surprise a couple of days later, no one outside of the leadership team knew of the pending changes. Implementation had not begun. My initial reaction was they needed to change.
I didn’t reflect long before I realized it was me that needed to change. While I got consensus on what we would do, I didn’t take the time to get the specifics on when and how the implementation would go. I accepted the confusion was due to my lack of attention to detail. I knew that for future results to be different, I would have to do something differently.
I met with my team and explained, moving forward, when we reach an agreement in a meeting, we will know the specifics on who will do each part; what will be required; when things will start and finish; where notifications will go; and why we are doing what we are doing in order to answer questions and concerns of others.
Finally, the only way to ensure your tomorrows are better than today, you must pay attention to who you allow to influence you. If you are doing what someone tells you to do, yet they are doing something different, it’s time to find someone else to listen to. Those you follow, the advice you take, should come from individuals that are congruent in their words and actions. They should be achieving what you are trying to attain. Learning is often the reward for spending time with remarkable people. Relationships help us define who we are and what we become.
In summary, the only thing to guarantee tomorrow is better than today is for you to realize that for things to get better, you have to get better.
Three takeaways to ensure you become better include:
- Don’t let the motives or actions of others deter you from becoming more.
- When you don’t get the results you want, instead of complaining about others, focus on what you can do to change future outcomes.
- Be careful who you listen to and follow. Explore options and choose to do what is best for you. The only way you become better tomorrow, is by your personal growth.
Remember, there is greatness within you. You must choose greatness. It won’t develop on its own. I believe in you!
“No matter what it costs to grow and learn, the cost of doing nothing is greater.”
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Published by Bryan M. Balch, Results Coach
Helping Individuals and Businesses Achieve Desired Results
#personaldevelopment #responsibility #leadership #relationships