Good Across the Board

Good across the board beats exceptional in one area.

I know that’s a hard message for high performers.

You’ve been rewarded your entire career for exceeding expectations.

‘Good enough’ as a worthy target feels like settling.

It’s not. It’s wisdom.

I worked with a Senior VP. Seven-figure comp. Board visibility.

The kind of career people write case studies about.

When we did the non-negotiables exercise, he realized:

All five work non-negotiables: fully met.

Personal non-negotiables: zero. None. Four months without exercise.

A year without a book that wasn’t about business.

His entire identity was his title.

When I asked: who are you if the job goes away tomorrow?

He couldn’t answer.

Exceptional in one area. Disappearing everywhere else.

That’s not winning. That’s a trade you didn’t negotiate.

What does good look like across all three areas of your life?