Those who have worked with me, known me, trusted me, know that I am a proponent of progress over perfection. Personally, I believe that perfection rests solely in the eyes of the beholder. It is subjective, and forever a moving target – an unattainable goal that leaves a long line of exhaustion and disappointment in the wake of redundant activity. Progress on the other hand is measurable and tangible because by definition it demonstrates forward movement in space or time. You can see where you’ve been and where you’ve progressed to, one step at a time. You’ve contributed to moving something forward, to making a change.  

 

“Progress is more important than perfection.”

– Simon Sinek

 

This is my 25th leadership blog post in 2022, the halfway point to my goal of curating and sharing 50 leadership lessons before the end of this year. Wow! I have progressed a long way from over 6 months ago when I was wondering if I even had 50 leadership lessons to share. It’s time to celebrate the progress made through a series of steps forward, such as:

 

  • Developing my brand for Sunrise Coaching;
  • Creating a website and LinkedIn page;
  • Formulating the idea of writing a blog series;
  • Seeking help to develop a social media calendar;
  • Writing a few blog posts and sharing them with my network;
  • Reaching out and inviting people to read along; and
  • Continuing to write a few new blog posts each month. 

 

This didn’t happen overnight or all at once, it’s been a series of small manageable steps forward – steps that have built momentum. I do not know what will happen when I reach my goal, that was not scripted or pre-determined. What I do know is that I will look back and reflect on how far I’ve come from the early seedlings of an idea – a desire – to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. It’s not perfect. In fact, at times, it’s messy. I’m okay with this because I am making meaningful progress, learning and growing each month.

This is what I celebrate:  progress.
This is what fuels me:  progress.
This is what encourages me to reach for more:  progress.

 

So, whether you are leading yourself or a team of others, I encourage you to identify a meaningful goal and pursue it one step at a time – even the smallest of steps forward count. Celebrate the small wins along the way and encourage experimentation, failure, learning. This is what leadership is about, progress that leads to growth.    

– Melissa Law