Personal Leadership for Women: Baseball Analogy

I am not an avid baseball fan, but I do know a little about the game.  Something that fascinates me is that if someone has a batting average of .300 it is considered good.  This means that the player gets a hit 30% of the time.  This also means 70% of the time he does not get a hit!  In other words, he succeeds 30% of the time and fails 70% of the time.

How many of us consider ourselves failures if we are not “batting” .500?  .900?  How many of us consider ourselves failures if we do not hit a home run every time we go to bat? 

Sometimes I think we are too hard on ourselves and need to step back and put things into perspective.  We are not going to get a home run every time.  We are not even going to get a hit every time. 

But if we continue to go to the plate and try our best, we will do better than those sitting on the bench.  At least at the plate we have the possibility of getting a hit, and maybe even a home run.  We do not have any chance as long as we sit on the bench.

Give yourself credit for going to the plate and trying.  You are automatically more successful than those who continue to sit on the bench!

Personal Leadership for Women: Great Success Requires Great Risk

Risk comes in many forms.  Sometimes it is financial risk such as leaving a good paying job to become self-employed or to start your own business.  Sometimes it is a time risk such as investing the time in an education or new venture which takes time away from family.  Sometimes it is a relationship risk by saying something to someone about an issue that bothers you.

If we never take risks, however, we will never move beyond where we are.  Everyone has a different comfort level for risk.  That is understandable.  It is also important to understand, though, that if we only take small risks, we will only achieve small successes.  If that is acceptable to you, then there is no problem.  If, however, you want great success the only way to achieve it is to take great risks. 

Taking a risk is, of course, risky.  If we take a big risk we may achieve big success.  Or we may fail and lose big.  If we take small risks and it does not work, then we lose small.

There is no right or wrong.  If your comfort level for risk is low and you do not want to take big risks because you do not want the possibility of big losses that is your decision.  But then accept that one reason you do not have big success is that you are not willing to take big risks. 

Again, there is no right or wrong and only you can decide what is right for you.  Just accept responsibility for the consequences of your decisions.

Personal Leadership for Women: Profit vs. Perfect

Recently I was fortunate enough to hear Darren LaCroix speak at a Wisconsin Chapter of the National Speakers Association meeting.  He was fantastic!  He spoke on a number of ways that speakers can be more successful and profitable.  Much of what he said can apply to anyone, in any business.

My favorite quote was “Done is more profitable than perfect.” 

If you are like me, you try very hard to make sure every project is perfect.  Although high standards are important, if the project never gets done because we are constantly tweaking it, what good is it?  How many projects have you started that have not been profitably because they were never completed?

I am in the process of writing a book, Don’t Act Like Prey!, on assertiveness.  Very soon I am going to have to say that it is good enough and publish the thing!  I will never see any profit from the book if I do not finish it.  Another aspect that I have to consider, and you may also, is that the time I spend trying to make this book perfect takes time that I could be spending writing another book.

When you are caught in trying to make something perfect, remember what Darren says, “Done is more profitable than perfect.”