The trouble with you is…

When was the last time you heard those words and what were the circumstances in which they were spoken?  None of us like being reminded of our failures but the simple truth is that for most of us it will have been our life partner, close friend or possibly even our boss that points them out in this clear and unambiguous way.

Being told ‘the trouble with you is’ once in a while might not do ever lasting damage and can at times even help to keep our ego’s in check but heard too often and we begin to recoil into ourselves and fail to perform anywhere near to our ability.  

It is a fact that many leaders are over confident of the capacities of others.  So when those around them fail to perform to the standards expected, instead of offering an apology for pushing them into something for which they were either not capable of or unprepared for, the worst leaders dish out unwelcome criticism on top!

It is a complex blend of encouragement, belief, patience and perseverance that obtains the best results in others.  It can be a useful exercise to remind oneself that not everyone is as cleaver, knowledgeable, or as motivated as you are and that probably for them doing OK is fine.

There is an accepted malaise in many companies that simply turning up for work and doing one’s job is somehow sufficient.  However I am a person that likes to go the extra mile, that likes to deliver my work to the very utmost of my abilities.  I am almost never satisfied with my own results and that is one reason why I am never completely satisfied with the work of others either, people like me find it all too easy to find fault in everything.

One of the tricks of a happy and well balanced life at work and at home is to learn when to keep one’s mouth shut and to avoid saying ‘the trouble with you is’, whenever humanly possible!

Have a good week

Harley