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Tip
of the Month: October 2007
Go hard or go easy...Which one is more
difficult?
Dear Friends,
I consider myself a pretty fast read on people. Regardless of where anyone
sits on the food chain, I'm always on the lookout for those who are engaged
and IN their business versus those who are disconnected and lackadaisical. I
can usually tell after spending a short period of time with someone, just how
absorbed they are in their livelihoods.
For the sake of argument, let's put people in two different boxes for a
moment. In the first box, there are those that go hard every day. They are on
a daily mission to advance any and every agenda that is in front of them. They
have a reputation as "doers" and they are acutely aware of the critical
actions that they need to complete each and every day. They want to look back
and say, "I had a good day - I moved the critical things forward." While
they aren’t successful each and every day, in fact often their goals are
too steep, they know that it is the fight that counts. They know that it is in
dealing in the "tough" issues that progress will be made. They wouldn't
have it any other way because they are driven to get better.
In the second box, there are those who tend to take life as it comes there way.
They have potential, but they do not assert themselves the way those in the first
box do. They spend time thinking about asserting themselves, but they rarely
act upon it. In fact, they are not proactive when it comes to tough issues. They've
programmed themselves to avoid "tough" and deal in the less difficult.
They would prefer a day filled with reacting to issues versus a day of proactively
attempting to accomplish some hefty goals. "Busy work" gets between
them and executing on the difficult issues. They are not assertive, but they
wish they were more so. They associate "lofty" goals with the pain
that it takes to get there. So instead, they stay in the coziness of administering
their life in a predictable, safe way.
I tend to have this debate that goes on in my head over these two different types
of people who are found in sales, marketing, operations, managerial and executive
levels. The debate focuses on which of the two is traveling down a more difficult
road. The one that that is bumpy, challenging, and difficult to negotiate? Or
the safe, paved, known road that leads to the same place every day to the town
of "Safeville." Before you decide if the road you are traveling is
the right one, truthfully ask yourself how happy you are. The truth is, "Safeville"
is
a very difficult place to live for many people. If that's the case for
you, I'd suggest moving. |
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