The single biggest organizational leadership failure

Destructive… Sorry for the typo

Jeff,

In looking at that, accountability for one’s success (and/or failure) is not based on oneself, but on the actions of others.

I remember when I was in high school (ages ago, it seems), there was a guy who was ultra-competitive with his grades. One day, in particular, after the teacher handed back our tests, he leans over in a sense of panic and says, “That was a hard test! I only made a 94 on it. What did you make?” His hope was that he could feel better about himself if I had made less than he did on the test. I remember looking at him and saying, “Donnie, it doesn’t matter what I made on my test. I am not your competition. We both have an A in the class right now. The only one who can make your grade lower is you. You are your only competition. Nothing I do changes your grade.” He huffed at me like I had just given him a gut-punch and turned back around.

That’s the reality – you set your bar for yourself, not for or by others. If you strive for excellence, then you are never having to look over your shoulder to see if you have to work harder to keep up.

By the way, I made a 97 on the test, but Donnie never knew.

Bob