October 2, 2009

“I could definitely still run at a pretty brisk clip.  I just wouldn’t be able to walk the next day.”

Recognizing our limitations is a humbling evaluation we must make from time to time.  For those of us who are beyond our physical prime, it is important to do what we can but equally important not to do more than we are able.  It is, as they say, a delicate balance. 

Professionally, a solid business assessment goes a long way in providing for success, a motivated workforce, and both top and bottom line growth.  Perhaps you’ve been in a meeting where wishful thinking replaces honest examination.  These meetings lead to great frustration.  While we should always stretch our personal capabilities and professional qualifications, being part of overzealous endeavors can be tremendously damaging to an organization.

On a beautiful fall day recently, joggers seemed to be on every corner.  With a bit of longing in his voice, a friend intoned, “I could definitely still run at a pretty brisk clip.”  Quickly, he qualified his claim, “I just wouldn’t be able to walk the next day.”  Too often, we move into areas we don’t belong at the expense of consistently improving our performance.  Is running impressively one day more important than being able to walk every day?

Years ago, when a company was struggling to compete on even the most basic deals, the company president demonstrated his unenlightened leadership by proclaiming to his employees that they were on the verge of being considered a “tier one” provider of services by industry analysts.  With a heavy dose of sarcasm but an even heavier declaration of truth, a manager replied that the company was “closer to falling off pier one than becoming tier one”.

Hopeless ventures, regardless of their intrigue and allure, should not be undertaken simply because the weather is perfect and we feel like running.

Craig Halsey

They Said It

October 2, 2009