Perfect World

"Why can't everything go like it's supposed to?"    "Why can't people do exactly what they are told to do?"  "Why can't everything just go right for a change?"

These statements are often made by people who believe in a perfect world;  because we don't live in a perfect world (and come on now, I think we all realize this) these individuals are often disillusioned.

I've witnessed good people become nearly catatonic when the best laid plans are not realized, when a team member disappoints or when their classically laid out ambitions do not come to fruition.   They rested upon their belief structure that all is supposed to be perfect, and when it isn't, their belief structure has failed them.

Not as an excuse for a failure to attain excellence, but instead as a vital tool to achieve it, I'm a strong advocate for recognizing that it's never going to be a perfect world.  By embracing that reality both we, and the people we have the privilege of working with, are then more fully equipped to deal with the issues at hand.

Perfect world people often don't have back-up plans (because what's the point of going to all that trouble when everything SHOULD work?)   Perfect world people have difficulty keeping their outlook moving onward and forward because they are constantly disappointed.   Perfect world people often don't have options because they believe that, in the perfect world, their plan should work.

By embracing that we live in a world full of imperfections and as leaders, we make mistakes (as do our team members), we avoid those traps and disappointments.  That, then, enables us to be more fluid, to have greater adaptability and a stronger relationship not only to the world around us but with our immediate team.

It ain't ever going to be a perfect world;   with that reality in hand, we can then move forward with plans, actions and a great resolve that we can, indeed, make the world a better place.

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My book "Courage Questions, Confident Leaders" is available for e-readers, PCs and tablets on Amazon Kindle.