I have never liked status quo, any status quo leader. Maybe someday when life is perfect; when there is no disease or conflict and I am all knowing and want for nothing……maybe then I can accept status quo. Of course at that point I will be so prideful, arrogant and annoying that I will have to change my status quo. So I guess I will never like it.
As we all know, status quo is to “keep things the way they presently are” (Wikipedia). As business leaders we can rarely if ever be accepting of “keeping things the way they are.” It is our job to succeed and achieve, in fact it is our responsibility. It is our responsibility because there are so many people depending on us. Employees depend on us, colleagues depend on us, vendors, partners, suppliers, customers, heck even our country and the world economy depend on our success; but most of all, the well-being of individuals and families of everyone we can touch depend on our ability to succeed.
This topic has always been a sore spot for me. I see people immigrate to the United States from other countries and be here 20 years and still cannot speak proper English. I see people stuck in dead-end jobs that stay there for years and years because they do nothing to increase their knowledge or training. We have all seen people with annoying habits or weaknesses that they never put any effort into changing.
We all have our “some-day’s” and “tomorrow’s”. You know, that excuse that pulls us back and drags us down, sometimes for our entire lives. Someday I will learn to be a better sales person. Someday I will learn to speak in front of large groups. Someday I will learn how to communicate better. Someday I will learn how to manage my money. Someday I will take a vacation with my family. Someday I will show my employees how much I care for them. Someday I will write that book. Someday I will overcome such and such bad habit or someday I will spend more time with my kids. Tomorrow I will tell my spouse how much I care for them. It seems they never stop.
Status quo is something we often think of as a kind of “environmental” problem that is happening around us, something that is caused by others or caused by the “system”. But bring it back and bring it closer to the individual level, to the personal level. If we could foster this value of progression in ourselves and in those that work for us, think about what could be achieved. If every employee had a learning mentality and a mentality of overcoming their weaknesses and learning new skills, how much more powerful of a culture could we have at our companies? We would not just have a lone leader progressing, but we would have an army of people going the extra mile and improving every day. How much greater profit and greater happiness could be produced in this scenario? How many more people could we positively touch?
I mentioned that this is a sore spot for me, because changing our current state does not necessarily have to be hard. Learning a new language is hard, but if you learned 10 words a day or 5 words a day, how much greater could you learn to speak that language, than if you had done nothing? Dr. Nido Qubein, said: “I learned English by memorizing ten words a day. Each day, I would review the words I had learned the day before and then study 10 new ones. By the end of the week I had added 70 new words to my vocabulary. It was this consistent effort, that enabled me to achieve fluency in English.” Nido is a self-made raving success.
This is not some rant on immigrants. What I am driving at is that small consistent effort is the key to overcoming status quo. There are thousands of stories like this, where someone took small consistent steps and were able to overcome great challenges, setbacks or weaknesses. By only reading about 5 pages a day, you can read an average business book or self-improvement book a month. There is a wealth of information in books that will help us overcome just about any challenge we face, although more effort is often spent searching for the remote control.
The biggest excuse I hear is “lack of time”. It really is an excuse. What you are really saying is: “I enjoy staying in my miserable state and I cannot prioritize what I do so I will just stay miserable and keep making excuses.” “Miserable” might be a strong word, but there is almost always some level of suffering by not progressing. That could be missing out on a better salary, a healthier lifestyle, amore loving relationship, a more profitable business, etc…. People will do what is most important to them. If you find yourself watching TV a couple hours a week and not working for 5 minutes a day on something that could help you, then obviously the TV is more important. If you spend your time always doing menial tactical work, and never strategizing to grow the business, then obviously business growth is not that important.
There is always a better way to do something or squeeze more time in somehow. Great leaders know this and do not make excuses; they focus on what is important to them and their organization. They will make time.
No matter if you are a CEO or a high school drop-out, I invite you to look at your life and to consider what small and consistent effort you could work on that might have an impact on your current situation. Then start acting. Don’t be haunted by “some-day’s.”
Please leave a comment or send me a message through the contact form. I’d love to hear what you think and I am always happy to help.
About Todd Nielsen
Todd,
You expressed one of my biggest bugbears perfectly! It kills me to hear so many people on a daily basis state that it is too late, too hard, or they don’t have the time. You are absolutely right. 5 minutes a day on something can start a shift on mindset. Achieve one thing and suddenly we see we can do more. The sad fact is people are also too impatient and want Immediate results. Thankfully though, there always will be people that push forward, that look to change the status quo. It isn’t as easy as everyone doing it, but it means there is hope that more will see it happening and follow.
Nice piece Todd. I’m currently at a challenging point in my work life but I wouldn’t change a thing or go back to what it was like before. I was in a toxic biz partnership with a family member for a very long time. I made a good living and provided well for my family but it wasn’t enough. Now I’m truly living. I’ve got the edge.
Great post, I believe it is harder to not be status quo then we realize. As long as we need to be excepted by friends and family we are probably being held back by status quo. It means swimming against the current which is hard. Read “life is tremendous” Charlie Jones.
Just coming across this post and love the mirror you are holding up for many of us. And for me I’ve found that focusing on those “small consistent efforts” towards a larger aspirational goal does work. However for many what can hold us back is less about time and more about knowing HOW and WHERE to start! The drive/commitment may be there but the knowledge/confidence/courage to take that initial step forward isn’t there. I’ve found my mentors/informal coaches incredibly helpful here by asking the right question to jump start my thinking or validating / supporting my thinking which bolsters my confidence to move forward on my chosen path.
Message – can’t let TIME or FEAR lull us into the status quo
Thanks for the push!
Great read Todd!
Hi Todd,
Your article gives great inspiration to me. Thanks.
There are so many things to learn, do and change. Every time I pick up a book, I’m distracted by another book that I should be reading. Short attention spans don’t help. After reading this article, I’m going to change this. I’m going to commit to reading 5 pages every day, pick one book keep focused to the end. Thanks for the inspiration.
Your Good!
I love to explain to our cadet leaders that, leaders don’t run or shy away from the problem they take it head-on. They must lead from the front; lead by example. Being passe or in the status quo just don’t cut it when lives are on the line; money is being lost; or the mission is in jeopardy.
As a 26.5 year Air Force Veteran and a 20+ year basketball coach, and 10+ preacher, I believe that I am more than qualified to make these statements, but only because the Lord has blessed me with these talents. I do appreciate your insights and you goals.
Well said, your students trully do have someone to look up to. Keep up the good work and please come back often.
Todd, status quo has this way of making people feel comfortable like surrounding one’s self with only YES people and making the company all about the leader instead of the team and the customers they, the industry it is in, the services and the vendors serving the company.
Some other pertinent and related topics might be on leader’s goals (all about them or something or someone else?), laying blame or praise where it is deserved instead of making one person or entity take the brunt or attention of either, males and females who co-found businesses and try to run them together and the issues as well as the advantages of such, and successful and derogatory social networking for business. Nice to know you via Linkedin!(vp and co-founder of Super Technologies, DIDX, Techistan, and Virtual Phone Line, Suzanne Bowen)
As a writer I find it helps to sit at the computer first thing each morning. Although if the muse strikes I’ve been still there at midnight to keep a deadline. We have interesting ancesters so I enjoy writing family history. Especially about naughty Aunt Ena Roscoe – And my book Daddy’s Little Spy Isabella by Isabella Rose is about my childhood with a mother who became a witch during world war two.
But I also write murder mysteries with a strong romantic theme.
It’s important not to procrastinate but to sit down and write So I suppose thats a structured life. http://www.pamelastrange.com
Small, Consistent Effort. Sounds like you have a plan. — Thanks for the comment Pamela
Darwin’s theory of evolution pointed out: whoever changes and adapts fast win, not the biggest or strongest. I think in business, you have to constantly change to improve, you change or die.
So very true Daniel. In business and in life. I think the ability to adapt is becoming increasingly important as changes contuinue to come at breakneck speeds. Those who are learning and changing will be ahead of the curve. Thanks for yoru contribution and insight.
Todd, ur pricking the underbelly of many of us…stop! Just kiddin….it begins with some self introspection which in itself can be uncomfortable. Like the addict, one has to admit change is necessary and then as Kris adroitly states, it’s the consistent committment that’s imperative to recognizing change is occurring. I also love Kris’ quote from Teddy’s “man in the arena speach”…many rather look at others attempts and ridicule than try and fail…we need to be reminded that today’s failure might just be bringing us closer to tomorrow’s success…thanks for sharing Todd and i look forward to your blogs…well done!
CBake
Thanks for your wisdom Craig. I always enjoy hearing what you have to say. We have to get together for lunch when I come to Dallas.
“…small consistent effort is the key to overcoming status quo.”
Todd, you are absolutely right. Most people never experience the kind of success they could have personally and professionally because they stop doing things that will lead to that success.
A great quote by Teddy Rosevelt sums this up nicely: ““Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.”
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on leadership. I look forward to reading furture blog posts over the months to come.
~ Kris Cavanaugh (www.BeginToShift.com)
That is a great quote. Thank You. I was recently speaking with the Pam Viveiros of ThinkTech Computers on a trip to Nashville and we were discussing this topic. We both agreed that we would rather have a challanging goal that pushes us and then fail getting there, then to not have a goal at all. Sometimes the progress is in the journey, not in the achievement.