Harvey Keitel and windows of opportunity
I spent lot of time encouraging the readers of my books and participants at my workshops on personal and organizational leadership ‘run towards your fears’ and to seize those “cubic centimeters of chance” when they present themselves. I challenge my clients to dream to shine to dare, because to me life well lived is all about reaching for your highest and your best. And, in my mind the person who experiences the most wins.
Each day, life will send you little windows of opportunity. Your destiny will ultimately be defined by how you respond to these windows of opportunity. Shrink from them and your life will be small. Feel the fear and run to them anyway and your life will be big, Life’s just too short to play little. Even with your kids, you kids you only have a tiny window to develop them and champion their highest potential. And to show them what unconditional love looks like. When the window closes it’s hard to re open it.
Nothing fails like success
Powerful thought isn’t it?? You as well as your organization, are most vulnerable when you are most successful. Success breeds complacency(self-satisfaction), inefficiency and worst of all arrogance.
When people and businesses get really successful, they fall in love with themselves. They stop working hard, stop innovating, taking risks and begin to rest on their laurels.
They go on the defensive, spending their energy protecting their success rather than staying true to the very things that got them to the top.
This past weekend, I took my kids to our favorite Italian restaurant. The food is incredible there. The best bresaola outside of Italy, Heavenly pasta, super foamy lattes that make me want to give up my job and become a barista. But the service is bad, Why? Because the place is always full. Because they are doing so well they’ve taken the lines for granted. And guess what It’s the beginning of their end.
I love taking pictures. I asked our server if she could take a picture of my children and me as we dug into our sphagetti. “I don’t have time” was the curt reply. Unbelievable. Too busy to help out a little bit. Too busy to show some humanity.
Nothing fails like success. When you’re making money and good margins, you tend to get sloppy.” Many CEOs don’t. The more successful you and your organization become, the more humble and devoted you need to your customers you need to be. The more committed to efficiency and relentless improvement you need to be. The faster you need to play. The more value you need to add. Because the moment you stop doing the very things that got you to the top of the mountain is the very moment you begin to slide down to the valley.
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