We get what we tolerate...

"Tolerance levels within ourselves must be lowered before the performance level of our organization can be raised." — James McPartland

Access Point: Courageous Conversations | Blog post by James McPartland | Speaker, Author, Executive Coach

One thing my clients frequently hear me say is that “Businesses don’t grow; people do”. Business growth is really a reflection of the growth of the people within the organization starting with the CEO and other senior executives..

Real leadership change starts from the inside on an individual level.

Unfortunately, I’ve found that most of us, no matter what position we hold, are highly unaware of our own incredible capabilities and capacity for change. We create self-limiting beliefs almost unconsciously, often blaming exterior factors for many shortcomings in our own performance.

We then defend this condition as “just the way it is”, the upper ceiling of what’s possible in the status quo. Just as the saying, “What you see is what you get”, what you fight for is what you get to keep.

Another way of putting it is that we all get what we TOLERATE. And quite often, what we tolerate in business are mediocre results. “This is as good as it’s going to get… We tried.”

And this is an attitude that starts at the top. It is those of us in positions of leadership who are 100% responsible for anything less than desirable results.

As business leaders, it’s imperative for us to recognize that to create any real, long-lasting change within our organizations, we have to be willing to first take a hard look in the mirror and see what needs to change within ourselves.

I'm going to speak more on TOLERANCE in the coming weeks-- but for now-- if I still have your attention, think about this question:

What TOLERANCE levels within ourselves must be lowered before the performance level of our organization can be raised?

Pay attention to the little things you've been allowing that don't sit right with you. Where do you need to raise the bar of expectation?

Think about that, and follow me for more on TOLERANCE in this No Straight Lines series.

Life is curly. There are no straight lines to progress. So enjoy the ride.

Mac