In Leadership, Good Enough Is Pretty Bad
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Summary: Having a "good enough" attitude is a serious stumbling
block for leaders. Such an attitude allows them to avoid the
hard work of finding better ways to accomplish things. Leaders
will be more accomplished, and will accomplish more, when they
eschew "good enough" and adopt an attitude of having a "powerful
dissatisfaction" with the way things are.
In Leadership, Good Enough Is Pretty Bad by Brent Filson
The first time I meet a leader to decide if we should work
together, I invariably ask one question. The answer to that
question gives me an idea of whether we'll have a productive
relationship. The answer also tells me how the career of that
leader might turn out.
I ask, "Are you satisfied with the results you're getting now?"
It's a simple enough question, yet it points to a world of
difference between leaders. Because if the answer is "yes" then
our meeting will be brief. We'll quickly go our separate ways.
My leadership methods can't help a satisfied leader, a leader
who lives by "good enough." Those methods can only help if that
leader has a powerful dissatisfaction with the results h/she is
getting now.
To understand this, let's go back to basics: Leaders do nothing
more important than get results. If you can't get results, you
won't be leading for long. Somebody who can get results is
always waiting in line to take your place. If "good enough" is
okay with you, you are the next best thing to somebody who can't
or won't get needed results. So, "good enough" is your enemy,
"powerful dissatisfaction" your benefactor. I'm not saying that
you should go around in a funk powerfully dissatisfied with
everything and everyone. You'd be a royal pain. What I am saying
is results should be seen not as an end in and of themselves but
part of a natural process to get more. Powerful dissatisfaction
does not have to be a downer. It can be a joy. The joy of having
the opportunity and privilege of thinking anew and acting anew.
To be powerfully dissatisfied, one must be relaxed, open,
caring, and humble. Banishing "good enough", embracing "powerful
dissatisfaction" becomes a profoundly enriching way not only of
being a leader but of living one's life.
So, take a joyful, powerful dissatisfaction into your leadership
activities and see the difference it makes in your interactions
with others and in results.
2005