by Nanci Sherman, Featured Contributor
A FORMER DIRECTOR of Sales who used to work for me called to catch up yesterday after several years of no contact. I was happy to reconnect but even more delighted when he told me he was following the “Nanci Doctrine” by running three miles daily and taking up a new language, etc… In other words, he was expanding beyond an earlier set point. I congratulated him wholeheartedly.
I was reflecting on his news during my own run this morning and realized I needed to text him to ask what the next milestone was he was setting for himself. Sure, getting off the couch was a stretch, but now he had a new comfort zone. Time to ramp up.
It’s the same with anything. Embarking on new paths is how we grow – targets change. People need to be acknowledged and congratulated and thanked when they achieve a desired outcome. And then, time to look inside to our inner coach.
“We made budget.” Inner coach: Great… now what? What can we stretch to?
“Our customers are, for the most part, satisfied.” Inner coach: How do we break through to their being delighted?
Best not to confuse being content with being satisfied. It’s a paradox – you may be content and happy, but it’s the nature of being human that calls us to consider “OK, what’s next?”
Excellence is a path. It’s what we find when we choose to grow. As The Door sang so many years ago, “Break on through to the other side.” There’s treasure there.