“Not being able to do everything is no excuse for not doing everything you can.” – Ashley Brilliant

We all have expectations in life.  We expect certain things from other people, from the government, from the weather, and so on.  Those expectations may be formed by our past experiences or by some kind of inside knowledge, or they may be based on complete fantasy. 

We also have expectations for ourselves.  We expect to perform at a certain level, to achieve certain things, to have some kind of impact in our work and personal lives.  And that isn’t a bad thing.  Those expectations quite often motivate us to reach beyond what we might otherwise accomplish.

However, sometimes those expectations can bring things to a grinding halt.  Every day I see leaders who have incredibly high expectations for themselves use those expectations as a reason for inaction.  They’re so afraid that they won’t perform at that level or achieve that goal, that they refuse to try.

Not long ago, I was in a meeting with a leader who was suffering from this particular affliction.  His company was facing some really serious issues, but he refused to take any action because he wasn’t convinced that any of the potential actions would “turn out perfectly.”

He was right.  Almost nothing will ever turn out perfectly.  I can almost guarantee that whatever you try and do will not turn out perfectly.  Something will come up that you weren’t anticipating.  Some roadblock will get in the way.

That doesn’t excuse inaction.  Your chosen path may not be perfect, but it might still be the right path.  There might be things you aren’t exactly sure how to do, but that doesn’t mean you and your team don’t need to try.

I’m not suggesting you run off and do things that you are completely incapable of doing.  I am suggesting that if you wait until the perfect scenario, at the perfect time, with the perfect people, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life.