Good, better, best...

Grinding through my professional life has taught me many things. While there’ve been successes, the insights I’ve learned from my failures and the mistakes of others have given me the greatest growth. It’s not always the easiest road to travel, but sometimes it’s the only one. So 20 years, 4 industries, and a handful of roles ranging from individual producer to director, I’ve found myself still convicted in my core beliefs. It’s these timeless values that have allowed me to continue to be successful throughout all the changes.

Honesty

While this seems like a simple concept, it presents its own series of challenges when you believe in doing everything for the betterment of the organization. Maybe this is from my CrossFit coaching days, but I think that everyone can be better with a little coaching (including myself). It means, however, that while your honestly my be necessary, it might not be welcomed or appreciated no matter how sensitively you try to handle the communication. Not everyone can separate themselves from a project or task, and therefore take constructive discussion as a personal attack. In the end, while it may not be winning you a popularity contest, you’re employed to improve the business. While I can point out times in my professional life that my honesty may have cost me a deal or even a promotion, integrity is capital that I’m unwilling to part with.

Integrity

The novelty of integrity amazes me. Sadly we can see this every day in some of our personal interactions all the way up to the executive branch of our government. Bending and twisting of facts, omissions, false claims, and lack of accountability all chip away at the foundation of trust. And like the construction of anything, a poor foundation leads to a lackluster finished product that will have significant challenges standing up to the weight of the environment. The way I look at it, I’d rather disappoint you today vs getting caught in a lie, lose trust, and still disappoint in the end. Again, this could cost you a new client, another deal, or slow your professional progress, but better to build your masterpiece on a stable footing instead of mud.

Pursuit of Mastery

My mother had an expression she used when I was younger that went like this. “Good, better, best. Never let it rest, till your good is better and your better is best." While this value was instilled in me as a child, I didn’t recognized the power of the concept until much later in life. Without giving any consideration to any particular skills or activities, consider the stages of your life and the responsibilities at that movement you have to yourself. Are you gravitating to what’s comfortable and easy or pursuing challenges? Are you living complacent or striving for personal and professional improvement? Think of toddlers when they get to the ‘Why’ phase. They’re in a time of discovery and learning everything they can about their environment. This is their only job. As students, ‘why' moves down in priority to ask how. Somewhere along the path, the questions lessen or even stop and development slows to a crawl marginally maintained only by passive information overheard or seen in an smartphone alert.

In the end, you are the architect and engineer of your future. What are the core values in your foundation that are ensuring a structure that will withstand tide and time?