| No sooner had I kicked off a recent leadership retreat when the power went out. In the entire complex. No lights, no projector, no mic – just me, a laptop screen, and a roomful of leaders staring back at me. Now, I could’ve stalled and waited for the power to return. But we only had three hours together, so we did what leaders do – we improvised. We threw open the blinds, I used my laptop as a mini projector, took off our jackets, and we kept rolling. The power didn’t come back until two and a half hours in. Here’s the thing: nobody was there for the perfect slides, the perfect setup, or the perfect conditions. They were there for the connection, the conversation, and the takeaways. And guess what? We got there – power or no power. Leadership is like that. You rarely get perfect conditions. Waiting for everything to line up before you move forward is just another form of perfectionism. Meanwhile, your people are watching how you respond when things don’t go according to plan. Do you freeze and wait for the “right” moment? Or do you adapt, adjust, and keep moving? Because in the end, culture isn’t built when everything goes smoothly. Culture is built when the lights go out. Perfectionism vs. Progress Perfectionism says: “Let’s wait until everything’s just right.”Leadership says: “Let’s work with what we have right now.” When leaders insist on flawless conditions, they unintentionally create a culture of fear and hesitation. People don’t take risks, don’t speak up, and don’t experiment – because they’re worried about messing up. But when leaders value progress over perfection, they create a culture where people feel safe to try, to learn, and to move forward, even when things are messy. Your Energy is Contagious In that room, I knew I wasn’t the only one being “watched.” My energy – calm, steady, let’s-keep-it-moving – spread across the group. Had I panicked, fumed, or made it a big deal, they would’ve absorbed that too. Same thing happened once when I was speaking to fifty government workers and we had to evacuate for a bomb threat – in freezing rain, no less. All eyes were on me then, too. I stayed calm, kept things light, and cracked a few jokes along the way, which helped everyone breathe and move forward without panic. As a leader, you don’t need to announce yourself – people can sense your energy from a mile away. Just like the woman in church recently, who must’ve bathed in perfume. The Leadership Takeaway Things will go wrong. Plans will fall apart. Power will go out. The real question is: What culture are you creating in those moments? Are you waiting for perfect? Or moving forward with progress? Are you bringing tension? Or modeling calm? Are you spreading fear? Or building trust? Leaders don’t get to choose perfect circumstances. But we do get to choose our energy – and that choice is contagious. |
| Lagniappe Here are a few questions for you to reflect on for this week: When things don’t go according to plan, do I default to frustration or flexibility? What unspoken message does my response send to my team in those moments? Am I modeling progress over perfection, or am I unconsciously feeding a culture of hesitation? If my energy is contagious, what exactly am I spreading right now? |
Through facilitated leadership team retreats, customized training programs, coaching, and keynote presentations with a hint of Cajun flavor, Jennifer Ledet, CSP, provides leaders with tools to help them be more intentional and live and lead by choice, not by chance.
Photo by Rahul
