Image by pheαnix – off 6/29 – 7/8 via Flickr
Where is your focus today? Is it forward focus for leadership success? Does your job success or failure define who you are? According to Clotaire Rapaille in The Culture Code who we are is what we do or our work in the U.S. This means we measure our success by our work not as a measure of ourself – a potentially dangerous proposition.
Here’s where it can be dangerous to let your company define your entire identity. I’ve seen entrepreneurs who would rather lose their marriage than their business – and, in some cases, they did. I’ve seen CEOs who pride themselves on having a balanced life, not realizing that every activity or hobby (whether golfing, or being president of the PTA, or sitting on the board of the local arts council) is still tied, in some way, to promoting the company’s growth. And I’ve seen plenty of guys like Jason who think they have personally failed if their company doesn’t outshine everyone else’s, no matter how unreasonable the comparison.
Unfortunately, Jason couldn’t get out of his own way. Because he couldn’t detach his ego from his company, he missed out on an excellent transaction-;one that would have been great for the company and great for Jason personally.
When you start to see any criticism of your company as a personal attack on you, there’s a problem. Make decisions based on what’s best for your company, and not what’s best for your ego.
…More at Is Your Ego Blocking Your Success?
If you see yourself and your success as what you do, it can skew your forward focus. It is important to focus on our goals not just the company goals. As suggestted by David Lonsdale our ego can get in the way. Remember to set your own goals for success in addition to those required of your job. Your Forward Focus for Leadership Success is based on your goals.
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