Are you really giving your very best to your work? Chance are, you’re not.
How can I be so arrogant to say that? Because most people aren’t giving 90 percent plus to their work at any given time – especially now, after several years of recessionary uncertainty have beaten us down. If you’re like most people, chances are you’ve become apathetic. Doing just enough to get by. Surviving. trying to figure out what to do NEXT!
In his excellent book Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business and Influence Others, author Andrew Sobel points out “We often settle for mediocrity when we need to do our best. Mediocrity is the enemy of greatness,” he explains. “Companies give lousy customer service, yet they wonder why they are losing market share. College students slide by with half-hearted efforts, but want to be offered the plum jobs when they graduate. Apathy is rampant.“
Kick apathy in the ass with these power questions
That’s why Sobel calls “Is that the best you can do?” a power question – because it jolts us out of mediocrity and demands the very best from us. Nearly everything you’re now doing can be done better. And once you’ve improved it, you can STILL make it even better. It’s an endless cycle. The bottom line is that you must adopt a mindset of continuous improvement if you hope to be more successful in today’s uncertain world.
Sobel recommends that you make questions like these part of your continuous improvement repertoire:
- Is there still room for further improvement?
- In what ways could this be made even better?
- What’s stopping you?
- Do you think this would be worth your ‘best’?
- What is the best part of this? What can be improved?
Do your best – today!
The good news is that if you can make this commitment, you will immediately stand out from your shell-shocked peers and coworkers. And that will help you to grow your influence, position you for plum projects and mark you for future advancement.