Lisa and I were discussing understanding. Mostly, we were considering this quote from an unknown author…
If only we fought just as hard to understand as we do to disagree.
It morphed into a conversation about the difference between high and low performers. Not that there’s only one difference, but we were considering the one difference we most notice today in our work. We landed on something we’re both seeing – and one we’ve always seen. Making excuses. Blaming something or somebody else.
Great city government leadership leans heavily on a culture where excuses are unacceptable. As Harold Geneen said, “Managers must manage.” Translation: we have to find a way.
From childhood until this present moment…I suffer from high empathy. When recently describing my empathy I reiterated how the depth of my empathy wasn’t some universal brush used to paint everybody or every situation. I’m discriminating. Selective. Because I know I’m a finite resource with only so much to give, only so much time to serve, and only so much ability to make a difference. I also know not everybody wants or deserves my empathy, but I can offer high value to those who do. High-performing players dominate high-performing organizations. Low performers don’t exist on high-performing teams. So I limit or restrict my empathy for those who serve the organization best. It’s not equal, but it is fair.
What do you want?
What kind of team/group/organization do you want?
What is your tolerance for poor performance or behavior?
How do you want to spend your days?
Who do you want those days with?
We can ask ourselves many great questions as we work to figure it out. High performance doesn’t just happen. We have to make up our mind that we will pursue and do whatever is required to achieve it. Today, we discuss one requirement – directing our empathy appropriately to foster high performance!
Be scared and do it anyway. Be under-qualified, and get in the room anyway. Be messy, imperfect, and unsure and show up anyway. Comfort is the enemy of growth. Get uncomfortable.
Growth requires learning. Learning requires us to attempt things we’ve not tried before. Along the way, there will be missteps, mistakes, and failures. But if we persist, and learn as we go, we’ll figure it out. That’s today’s topic – embracing discomfort as we learn to grow great!
Today, I ask Lisa to pull the curtain back and share a part of her journey as a new Managing Director, being part of the City Manager’s Office, that involves earning the trust of your boss(es). For her, it’s a new role, but it still speaks to our need (and opportunity) to show our leadership upward.
