It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint: When Good Enough Gets You Far.

Most leaders don’t get where they are without being dedicated hard workers who put a great deal of their energy into their work lives. Still, this kind of drive can be really hard to dial down, even when your business has matured to a more manageable, maintenance mode.

A depressed economy, heightened competition and even smartphones have created an environment in which many of us continue to operate at 120%. And as a leader who has some real success under his or her belt, it can be hard not to latch on to the belief that everything that comes from us or our team must be perfect.

Here is the hard, cold reality for the overachievers among us, there simply will never be enough time or enough resources to deliver 100%, on every thing, every time. And while you can certainly make some things a priority, everything cannot be a priority. Some things, some times, must hit the good enough mark. Your job as a leader is to think about and strategize where this can happen and where it cannot.

Feeling overwhelmed? Take a glance over your to do list or that of your team. What can you let go of because everyone can let go a little? What must be a priority? And what needs your attention or forward movement but not necessarily 100% right this instant?

You might be saying to yourself “but doing it all is how I got here and if I don’t go, go, go and do, do, do, someone else is going to catch up and even surpass me.” I challenge you to think about it differently. Sure you will go through some periods where your intensity level changes--even in a mature, established business. For instance, my company just expanded, moved offices and made some major changes in how we do things. This transition required much more from me than our normal day to day. And I put the time in because in this instance, it was critical.

Yet for many of us, the sprint is largely over and we have moved into marathon mode. Marathons require thoughtful pacing and a careful use of our internal and external resources. So where are your resources best deployed? And where are you and your team best served by conserving your valuable time and energy?