March 2004
In This Issue:
Gimme a Break
I confess. Last month, while facing the many demands of a busy start to 2004, I decided to skip the February issue of Summit. Perhaps you noticed but, more than likely, you didn’t. One thing is for sure: the world did not fall off its axis because I let one project slide. I could have given up an evening or weekend to do it (during a time when I was already giving up several evenings and weekends for other projects), but I chose to take some much-needed time for connection with my husband and renewal for myself. I chose my priority—and I would make the same choice again. Giving yourself a break is one of the dirty little secrets of peak performance. That is: to be truly committed to achieving our goals, we must embrace the imperfection that is an inevitable part of life. Too often, however, we fight it. One of the most common mistakes people make is that they approach their goals with an all-or-nothing mentality. They get fired up to achieve something big—a significant amount of weight loss, a smoke-free lifestyle or increased sales for their business. They commit to it 100 percent—exercising every morning, cutting out cigarettes cold turkey or making 10 sales calls each day. Then, they become human. They miss a trip to the gym, they sneak a smoke or they simply don’t have the motivation to make those calls. But instead of getting up and renewing their commitment the next day, they beat themselves up, wave the white flag and declare that they can’t achieve the goal because they can’t keep up with the routine. The all-or-nothing mentality convinces you that, to achieve a goal, you must do something 100-percent perfectly, 100-percent consistently, 100-percent of the time—or you won’t be able to do it at all. Problem is, no one can meet this standard. As a result, the all-or-nothing mentality usually amounts to nothing. What to do? Cut yourself some slack. I follow what I call the 90/10 rule. In other words, I am committed to my goals 90 percent of the time. Within that extra 10 percent lies the freedom of imperfection. Some examples: I believe in good dental hygiene (mostly because I fear the dentist’s drill), so I floss my teeth six nights a week. One night, a night I affectionately refer to as "floss-free night", I give myself a break. It makes it easier for me to keep up with my routine knowing that I have a regular break built in. In my business, I work under many deadlines. To keep my clients happy and coming back for more, I think it’s important that these dates be held sacred. That’s why I make sure that, when I accept a project, I allow time for it to be done right. That means being realistic about how quickly things can be accomplished. Often, it also means adding a little wiggle room to allow for the meeting planner who is out of town for a week, the client who requests an emergency coaching session, an unexpected appointment or a day of writer’s block.
To be truly disciplined and avoid burnout, we must be consistent—but balanced. When we allow for imperfection, we allow for reality. We allow for the ebbs and flows of energy. We allow for the inevitable crisis. And we more gracefully allow our best to emerge.
Leadership in ActionWant to read the quick, but compelling, secrets of one of America’s top leaders? Click here to check out this recent article from Fast Company. Want to give your managers the tools to put these tips into action? Click here to read about the benefits of my training program, "The Peak Performance Leader."
|
