Leveling Up Is What You Really Want
Do you see lazy effort among your colleagues? Have businesses you once favored declined in quality or offerings? Leveling up may be what most people are looking for, yet it is often different from what is received.
I love the pizza shop around the corner but every pizza they make seems really different. Some are great, others not so much.
Do you like our logo? We paid the best graphic design firm in the city big bucks yet it feels like something a four-year-old might whip up.
We went to the most prominent kitchen remodeler in the area. Look at our countertops, they aren’t even level.
Does the customer service you experience ever shift to the lowest possible delivery? Does it feel like you’re receiving the quality of work that is just barely enough to get by without a complaint?
It happens to the restaurant, the car repair shop, and even the local hardware store. Some remain in business for decades or more, and others seem more like a flash in the pan.
There is a fine balance between constructive feedback and critical criticism. The recipient always gets to decide what to ignore and what to change. When you are convinced that the feedback you receive doesn’t matter, it may be time to reassess the direction you are heading.
Leveling Up
The moment an employee or the entire business decides things are absolutely perfect and that they shouldn’t change a thing is likely the same moment that things start to decline.
When corrective actions, different tastes, quality, quantity, and colorful options stop. The business hasn’t only stalled, it’s now in decline.
It is relevant for your job or career.
It is relevant for your favorite restaurant across town.
Even at the barbershop, the fitness center, and the book store. The business of leveling up is the difference-maker.
Coasting means you’re moving, but for how long?
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
