Mars Venus realizes we all have moments when we procrastinate at work. We typically procrastinate when we are stressed out and need to re-energize; we’re a little anxious as we’re figuring out the day’s priorities; or we have a few minutes to kill say before a meeting, between a project and lunch, waiting to talk to a co-worker or it’s almost time to go home. Procrastination and complacency are two blocks any of us can fall prey. One is much direr than the other; both can impede productivity, efficiency, creativity, and growth at work. Complacency, however, when it takes root can be deadly infectious to our success, and mark the beginning of our failure to meet our customer’s demands. When we are satisfied with our success, but are unaware of deficiencies or that we’ve fallen into this lull we stop growing.
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a politician and statesman during the Second World War who is considered to be one of the most influential people in British history. His words still inspire leaders today. One of my favorite quotes by Winston Churchill is:
Success is not final;
failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
As a coach it is frustrating to see a client hack away at a goal on a 90-Day Plan stop, because they think they’re done. People seek out coaching to help end their procrastination. A good coach eases a client’s anxiety surrounding change to achieve a goal. As a coach holds a client accountable to do what the client says he or she is going to do, clients typically achieve their goals faster than when they were on their own doing it whenever, when the mood strikes, or because they’ve run out of time. I’ve seen the complacent attitude crop up right after a milestone has been reached such as a promotion at work, a raise, or taking a course needed for professional development, and it’s the kiss of death. It also begets the question, why were you working so hard in the first place?
Like Winston Churchill says, “Success is not final.” When we become complacent that we’ve done well on a project, or we’ve attained a goal, our perspective and plan of attack must also change. If we focus on past accolades, guess where our professional career or our company’s vision remains? It will remain mired in the past. When we lack foresight and have no direction for attaining the next goal beyond the one we just completed, our deficiency is lack of planning, and what we get is stagnancy. Will others still want to seek you and your services out?
We all fear failure, but it is never fatal. When we make a mistake, the quicker we’re able to make it a learning point, the sooner we’re able to dust ourselves off, regroup, and move on. This is why Winston Churchill’s quote remains germane today, “it the courage to continue that counts.”
My challenge to you is to always ask the question, “what’s next?” So in this next week your homework is to ask yourself, colleagues and customer’s “what’s next” on the agenda. And, be sure to ask for details and timelines to keep things moving forward. This line of probing will ensure freshness, creativity, and focus to achieve the next goal at work. There is always room for improvement, growth, and inspiration.
Lyndsay Katauskas, MEd
Mars Venus Coaching
Corporate Media Relations
