Imagine Exceeding the Possibilities

This morning, while catching the train to work, I found myself reading an article discussing Jack Welch‘s leadership legacy.

Funny how life occasionally hands you a practical example of whatever you’re reading. Behind me sat a bloke on his phone. I only heard his side of the conversation, but that was enough.

“I don’t have to work so hard. They want me to get at least three sales each day. Easy. That’s one between 10 and 12, one between 12 and 2, and one more between 2 and 4. Too easy.”

At first, I was impressed. If three sales really were that easy, good on him. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised something was missing.

He wasn’t talking about how he could improve. He wasn’t excited about setting a personal record or seeing how good he could become. He’d already decided that the minimum expectation was also his maximum ambition.

That’s a dangerous place to settle.

There’s nothing wrong with meeting your targets. After all, that’s what you’re paid to do. But if you’re capable of more, why stop there?

The people who tend to move ahead in life and business aren’t always the smartest or the most naturally gifted. More often, they’re the ones who consistently do a little more than expected. They make one extra sales call. They solve one extra problem. They help one more customer than they had to.

Those small decisions compound.

Exceeding expectations doesn’t necessarily mean working longer hours or burning yourself into the ground. Sometimes it’s simply choosing not to coast when you know you’ve still got something left in the tank.

Every workplace has people who ask, “What’s the minimum I need to do?”

Far fewer ask, “What am I actually capable of?”

That’s the more interesting question.

Because when you stop measuring yourself against the minimum standard and start measuring yourself against your own potential, you often discover you’re capable of far more than you first imagined.

Don’t just meet expectations.
Exceed the possibilities.