Get Better

I follow my son’s high school athletic team Twitter account to keep track of practice schedules, meets, etc. Occasionally the coach will throw out some words of encouragement to the team. Recently he had a post that read: “Do the work and get better. Don’t work and stay the same. Pretty simple.” It was pretty simple; but it was also impactful and just as related to my business career and my son’s track career.

As you advance through your business life, I think it easy to let your past accomplishments speak for you or let the tried and true processes you use on a daily basis to help you get through the week; but that isn’t allowing you to meet the ever-growing needs of your client and it definitely isn’t helping you grow professionally. It is easy to put in your eight hours and get your work done; but if you aren’t pushing yourself to improve your process, expand your skillsets or exceed the expectations of the client you aren’t getting better.

 We have all heard the old adage: “no pain, no gain”. I think that is appropriate here as well. Just like improving your strength in the gym takes hard work and causes some muscle pain, building your business expertise will require some extra effort and won’t be easy. It is hard to advance your career if you aren’t willing to step out of your comfort zone or take on extra responsibilities. Those may cause some pain in the short term, but those efforts are what make the difference in your long term gains.

 So, my challenge to you this week is to do the work and get better. Put in the quality time at the office and reap the long term benefits.

 Onward and Upward