A Good Enough Leader?

We are all human and tend to overrate ourselves in not all, but many categories. In our minds and possibly expressed openly, we believe we are “good enough”. Maybe that is sufficient in certain tasks and skill levels. One might believe that they are good enough with analytic forms of decision making. Or maybe good enough with presentation forms of speaking to teams. The list of “good enough’s” is long. Who want’s to down grade their competency in anything?

The problem comes into play with what is good enough relative to our leadership effectiveness, meaning our ability to influence, motivate and persuade others to a vision, change, etc. With the velocity of change and complexity of how society continues to shift, today’s good enough is not likely to be good enough for tomorrows needs. But, since we all operate routinely at our habitual, comfort zone or default level, it’s easy to become complacent.

So, I ask you, how do you gauge what good enough is? I use forms of assessment and discussion oriented tools with clients. Take inventory of skill areas where your resulting behaviors are good and where they are not. Make two columns to annotate that. The add an objectivity coiumn that provides you a future leadership skill need driver. Is the future driver need aligned with your “good enough”.

Be careful about allowing good enough to be come status quo in a world where today’s status quo is not tomorrows.