One of the first things I did after deciding to embark on the path of starting an executive coaching/leadership business was to hire a coach. I mean, why preach it if you don’t believe it? That decision has proven to be a very helpful part of the process. However, like any good coach, my coach hasn’t handed me the answers to my many, many questions on sliver platters. Even when I’ve asked nicely. Very frustrating. At any rate, what my coach has done is to encourage me to look beyond my specific questions to better understand the emotions that were underneath. So, I’ve been thinking about that. A lot….
I was on the soccer field the other day, telling another parent about my new business venture. I was talking about this feeling I’ve had that I really wanted to get it right. I figured – there’s only one chance to launch – so there is a lot of pressure to make the right decisions. And sometimes the impact of trying so hard to make the right decisions is that it’s tough to make any decision at all.
Hearing my story, my soccer-parent-friend told me an interesting one of his own: Years ago he worked for a woman who was responsible for running payroll at his company. It was his first experience in that department and he felt the importance of the work they did for each and every employee. He also felt the urgency associated with getting it right. He was recalling her direction to the team as she was leaving for vacation. She didn’t ask them to call her if there were questions or concerns. She also didn’t tell them to just ‘hold’ the check run until her return. She simply said – “No matter what, just GO. And if there are issues we will address them after the run.”
Don’t the perfect get in the way of the good.
At first, I thought it seemed like a strange approach. I mean, don’t you want to ensure the payroll is handled perfectly every time? But the more I thought about it, I realized that she wasn’t saying she didn’t want to ‘get it right’. Her approach simply meant that getting it right wasn’t contingent on getting it perfectly right. And there’s the insight that my coach knew I would eventually get – it’s all about fear, not about decision-making. At the end of the day, it’s not productive to let the fear of imperfection get in the way of moving forward. You know this one: Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.
Every time we try something new, whether it’s a new business or simply a new food or new workout routine, there is a risk that it might not be exactly as we expected. But isn’t it better to have loved and lost….or something along those lines? I guess at the end of the day, this need to ‘get it right’ isn’t so absolute and it’s definitely not that helpful. Just GO. And if there are issues, we can address them ‘after the run’.
What are you trying to do perfectly? Have you experienced fear or some other unhelpful emotion getting in your way as you tried to accomplish your goals? Maybe coaching could be beneficial for you the same way it has been for me.
If you’d like to chat about it, schedule a complimentary discussion to discuss how coaching may helpful to you.
