day 324: The Need To Exceed...

...expectations, that is. Yes, we are challenged at work daily to not only meet but to exceed the expectations that are put on us by others. Seldom do we really get to totally independently set our goals and objectives. Even when it feels like we get to do so when we are asked to author and submit our goals for the year, the quarter or the month, we are influenced by the larger strategy and objectives of the organization and we can find ourselves reaching to put together a set of goals where we are making a performance difference between ourselves and our peers. From there, we place the pressure on ourselves to find a way to exceed those objectives. When we do, we are pleased and feel like we have grown and been successful. When we don't, we are stressed, down on ourselves and feel like we have disappointed ourselves and others. In all my business years, I have only met a few people who have openly said that they only work to the lowest level of performance expected of them and everyone of those people worked below what I believed to be their full potential. We all are given the potential to do great things and to make a real difference in our work and our lives. The question is how do we tap that potential and bring the best out in ourselves so that we can continue to exceed our expectations? The formula seems to have been given to us by Paul in Ephesians 3:20; "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." To unlock our full potential we need first to allow God to be unlocked inside of us and for His glory to be realized through our work. We have to start with Him first and then work backwards to those expectations that we and others have put on us. If we can do that, then the promise of what we can accomplish can be so much further beyond our expectations, or any of the expectations of the people around us. Thinking that we might be able to accomplish anything infinitely more than we might think or ask, should be enough right there to get us each of us to try God's approach rather than our own expectation management.

Reference: Ephesians 3:20 (New Living Testament)