Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

On my watch could be,

•Like the ER doctor who refuses to let the patient die on his operating table even if they were pronounced DOA

•Like the policeman who works tirelessly to keep the streets safe despite rampant crime and permissive laws

•Like the mother who will protect her child from all harm and will put herself between the two if and when necessary 

Is it passion? Instinct? A calling? Commitment? Or simply tenacity…?

Some people are prone to go further than most to be successful at their craft. These extremists usually make enormous sacrifice to accomplish their remarkable goals.  Those sacrifices are usually not obvious … but they will appear and will wreak havoc eventually because my belief is that balance is rewarded with a peaceful existence and extreme efforts often demand an equally extreme reaction. 

Historically, I have been drawn to difficult situations, complex problems, wounded cultures, hard-nosed authorities and bruised organizations. Said differently, I don’t shy away from a challenge. Rather, I am curious, intensely focused on finding root cause and taking quick action*. This approach has been misdiagnosed as ready-fire-aim, cruel or selfish. I think the situation dictates many of the steps required to be successful. Doing the same thing with the same people and expecting different results is insanity according to Einstein.

*Jack Welch, GE’s famed leader was asked to reflect on his career and if he would have done things differently. His response was that he would have moved faster. My experience in moving faster, challenging status quo and helping certain low-performers to be successful elsewhere … is that communicating is the greatest challenge. 

Why? Maybe it’s because:

•People don’t like surprises

•People are generally curious and want to know details that aren’t important for them to know, regardless how the culture might react to the absence of information (see last weeks post with Frank Luntz quote).

•Incumbents in a difficult situation may not be open to different views, ideas or approaches 

We have heard the phrase “not on my watch” which refers to the things we might not allow while being employed and/or engaged in whatever role we are in at the time. I prefer to focus on things I will do rather than simply what I won’t tolerate, and suggest a proactive route is the only sustainable path.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric