Project Revolution

For years, I thought this behavior made me a better leader.

I was wrong.

💥I had this need to create pressure.

• To push.
• Set aggressive timelines.
• Create tension when it was not there to begin with.

I know the power of putting dates on milestones. Deadlines matter.

There are moments when leaders need to push hard.

💥But one day I looked around and thought:

• Why the heck are we stressing about this?
• This does not have to be this hard.
• It does not need to be done this fast.

This distinction was a big one for my hard driving, Type A, maximizer personality.

• Because not every project is on fire.
• Not every initiative needs to feel mission critical.
• But for a long time, I created that tension anyway.

⚡And admittedly, part of me liked it. And, so did some of my team!

• That pressure gave us a rush.
• A feel of accomplishment.
• And, forward progress.

But it also created self inflicted stress.
And unnecessary stress for people.

⚡That was the most important realization.

As leaders, our job is to push when it is necessary.
But it is also our job to know when not to.

Because life is going to bring enough pressure all on its own.

We do not need to manufacture more of it.

Curious...

Have you ever found yourself creating pressure that did not actually need to exist?