In my nearly 20 years of coaching professionals to greater success, I’ve never seen a leader reach the ceiling of their capacity. Think about that. I’ve had a sideline seat to witness many leaders’ efforts, stumbles, and successes, and I haven’t seen one max out on options, opportunity, answers to “what’s next?” or results.
We have so much potential in us. Where people falter is when they fail to realize that.
Here are five ways to go from good to great in any pursuit that matters to you:
1. Believe better is possible. Hold yourself deeply accountable for recognizing where, how, and why better is available. Whether you are underperforming, in debt, overweight, experiencing a fractured relationship, or falling short of your hopes and dreams, know that if you dare to change, you can.
2. Get real about what’s not working. Own your shortcomings. See and name the behaviors and actions detracting from the most important ones. The schedules, attitudes, skills, understanding, effort, or whatever is keeping you from leveling up, call it out. You can’t be better until you clearly know what’s holding you back.
3. Become a student of your challenge. You are not the first person to be good at something where greatness is possible. Question, research, discover, and explore all the ways other people are excelling where you want to be stronger. The best practices of others are not doctrine. They are starting points for understanding what will work to create better for you. You aren’t seeking to invent a new way. You are looking for innovation that creates new results for you.
4. Nourish, love, care for and support yourself. Most successful people have positive respect for themselves. While they recognize missteps and course correct, they do so with self-compassion that leaves their self-esteem strong. Realize and cherish your talent, heart, and the variety of factors that comprise your essence. See your greatness.
5. Create milestones and pursue the path. Action is essential to success. People who evolve from good to great design a path of action and follow it. What do you need to do differently to get the better result that is important to you? Answer that question with specific actions connected to timelines, and you begin moving toward a new level of results. Your path won’t always be perfectly linear. You’ll fly forward only to stumble back. Yet if you keep on stepping, you will progress.
Wishing you a week of peace, gratitude, and reflection. Imagine the better that matters to you. Plan and begin your follow-through on these five steps. Keep me posted on the joy of the pursuit and the results you experience. You can improve in anything you value if you are committed to the effort.
