by Jim Walter
You are an exceptional leader. There’s no doubt in my mind. Here’s the catch – if you want to remain a great leader (and continue to grow) you have to be on guard against a common trap. As you face challenges, it will feel easy to make excuses. Don’t give in. It’s the fastest way to slow down your progress and keep you stuck where you don’t want to be.
Why Do We Make Excuses?
When we fail, it hurts. We don’t want to face the shame and anxiety that failure can produce. We want to avoid feeling like we fell short of the mark. How do we do it? We make excuses. We blame other situations or other people for the fact that we couldn’t achieve what we set out to do. It helps shield us from having to face the reality that we didn’t make it.
Psychologists call this “self-handicapping.” It’s a distraction that moves the focus away from you and onto someone else. In the end, it has big negative effects that prevent you from moving forward…but in the moment, it can feel good.
How Do Excuses Hold Us Back?
Excuses make us feel powerless. After all, that’s the argument – you’re saying, “It’s not my fault. I couldn’t help it.” An attitude like this leads to disempowerment, helplessness, and lack of purpose. You’ll begin to think, “Hey, if I couldn’t take charge in this area of my life, what’s the point of trying?”
Here’s where you’ll need to lean into your support system to help ensure that you don’t take this approach. This fear – that you’re at the mercy of people and circumstances around you – isn’t true. In reality, we have great power over our own outcomes. You hold the key to your future.
What’s the Alternative?
Will you face challenges throughout your life? It’s inevitable. Everyone has struggles and issues, many you would never trade for. We can easily feel like we’re constantly swimming against the current, and again, that may be partially true. You can choose to focus only on your issues, struggles, and roadblocks….but if you do, you’ll be missing the rest of the story.
Shift your focus to the gifts, strengths, abilities you do have. If you’re currently in a leadership role, you have questions, curiosity, and a crazy ability to see around the curve. You can work like a draft horse when called upon. Lean into these strengths, and determine how you can better leverage them to reach your goals. You, and your business, are on the verge of changing your industry. I can feel it.
How Can A Coach Help?
If we’re working together in a coaching capacity, I’ll have very high expectations for you, and I’ll also believe you have what it takes to make the next leap. Just like an athletic coach, I’ll hold the bar high, then push you to put in the work.
Though many things in life are out of our control, many important things are well within it.
You choose your own attitude.
You choose your own mood.
You choose your own reactions.
You choose how to use your creative energies.
You make choices, and your choices determine which paths you’ll travel.
When you work with us at The Intention Collective, you’ll be pushed to go further and dig deeper. We’ll celebrate your strengths and shore up your weaknesses, and we’ll make sure that the power rests with you.
Be the leader you were born to be, and the leader you have worked diligently to become. Your family needs that leader, your business needs that leader, your community needs that leader, and our society needs people like you to lead. You are wired for this, and you have a great future ahead of you. We’d love to be part of it with you.
