Some leaders become extraordinary. But, average is normal.
You climb and struggle toward extraordinary. Mediocrity is a comfortable slide.
Pain is the point where average becomes extraordinary.
Extraordinary leadership requires:
- Fierce focus.
- Finely honed skills.
- Fanatical commitment.
Extraordinary leaders are always falling short. Only the average arrive.
Average leaders:
- Look for minimums. “What’s the least we have to do.”
- Wonder why extraordinary leaders work so hard.
- Ease up when things are going well.
- Rest on titles and past performance.
- Accept “good enough.”
- Make excuses.
- Drift, delay, and postpone.
Average leaders say, “Good enough.”
Extraordinary leaders say, “How can we be better.”
12 ways to become extraordinary:
- Invest inordinate amounts of time and energy into self-development.
- Endure ridicule from the mediocre. “I can’t believe you put that much time into your presentation.” “Why don’t you just relax?”
- Despise mediocrity.
- Enjoy constructive criticism, instruction, and practice.
- Reject the idea you can excel at many things. Being a jack of all trades and master of none is unacceptable to extraordinary leaders.
- Understand that falling short is normal when you’re reaching higher.
- Deal quickly and aggressively with failure. Extraordinary leaders investigate their failures with a fine tooth comb.
- Look for opportunity, not excuses.
- Get uncomfortable when you feel comfortable.
- Pressure yourself.
- Become fanatical about details.
- Fear failure.
Becoming an extraordinary leader means working when you don’t have to and improve when others are satisfied.
What does pressing toward extraordinary look like to you?