WHEN WE TRY TOO HARD

How to Try too Hard - Extract from Greg McKeown book #Effortless

(Start of Extract) A key moment in my career, a client at a high-profile technology company once asked me to give three presentations on Leadership. They told me that if all went well they were prepared to hire me for the next year or more. I understood their needs well. I had ready-made content and they had already approved.

The afternoon before the first presentation, I decided to add some finishing touches. It already looked good. But I worried it didn't look good enough. I decided to scrap it all and start over.

I got consumed with a new idea that I was convinced would wow them. I ended up staying up all night rewriting my whole presentation. New slides. New handouts. All of which were, of course, untested.

As I drove to the company's office the next morning I was exhausted. My mind was foggy. When I arrived, I was running on the fumes of my nervous energy.

As the presentation began, my stomach sank. My opening story was unpolished. The slides were unfamiliar; I kept having to turn around to see what was on the screen. One of the first slides failed to convey the point I was trying to make.

In short, I blown it (sic).The client cancelled the other two presentations. (End of Extract)

THE DIFFICULT PART

Sound very familiar? I definitely had a few of those moments before. I can laugh at it now but not then.

So, what happens when we try too hard?

In many circumstances, we think we are not good enough and feel the strong need to prove ourselves. We also imagined the possibilities to outshine and "wow" everyone. I'm not saying we shouldn't challenge ourselves and step out of our comfort zone, however, do it wisely and confidently.

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

So what have I learned ?

1) When we give 100%, nobody knows that's our 100%. Most people will take that as our norm; which is brewing trouble. We can not be running at 100% capacity 24/7 to everyone.

I would suggest always give 90% of the capacity you have. If there's a pressing issue that needs your assistance, you can still give that remaining 10% BUT with clear explanations that this is your limit. Tell the person if they still overload you with more things; that's a trust issue ( you trust the person not to take advantage of your capacity), not capability issue.

2) If there's a new idea you really want to present or dip your toes in, limit it to 30% or less at a time. If that idea flops, it only cost 30% or less, (mentally) most people can cope with that amount of embarrassment. If it works, you're able still keep both your usual capacity and new idea running.

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