#337: If you feel like you are coasting, are you already going downhill?

The life of your business is either in an incline, or decline

During my first intake meeting with business leaders, I often hear something like this:

We often find we are coasting along throughout our lives, both business and personal. If we coast too long, we inevitably ask ourselves how did this happen to me? Whether it was “Oh my God, I’ve gained 10 lbs”, “How did we go from a positive to negative EBIT?” or “How did employee morale get this low?”.

We aim to get to Easy Street and glide along without worry. We spend so much energy climbing that ladder to success; when do we enjoy it? Our advice is; enjoy it but never stop climbing those stairs. You hit an inflection point when you stop focusing on what matters. That point is when you go from incline to decline. It isn’t a single thing you did; it’s a series of events that all have something in common.

For example, you have a stated core value of accountability. One of your key employees does something egregious, and you look the other way. The team members notice and wonder when the hammer will fall. When nothing happens, it sets an example. Something else goes wrong, and another team member looks the other way. It may take weeks or months, but at some point, you ask yourself: How did it get so bad?

The good news is that if you continue to do things right, and correct the wrongs as they happen, you are still improving, but it does get easiER. I capitalized the ER on purpose, and you can refer to my earlier blog this year on “The Power of ER” for more. But it’s simple: getting bettER, strongER, happiER, and easiER, is a never-ending process. Holding people accountable never ends, but we hope to have to do it less in the future. The friction of ER should always be present. When it disappears, might be when you are heading downhill.

The problem with those that coast they think they have reached the top of the mountain. Like the picture above, you have only reached a landing. There are many more steps to climb if you aim to get bettER. You may have to look to your left or right, but I can assure you there is always something to correct.

How can you check yourself?

When you get to the point of decision and say something like;

• It’s a small drop in the bucket; compared to the grand scheme of things,

• This is nothing,

• I’ve told you before,

These may be signs that you are heading downhill. No matter the act's size, someone else will know what is happening. Things need to be addressed in a timely and consistent manner. Otherwise, our decision-making is questioned, and faith and trust are lost for each thing you turn your head away from.

They call it a slippery slope for a reason. Once you start down this, it isn't easy to get your traction again. And you’ll find yourself sitting in front of an executive coach saying, “I don’t know how it got this bad.”

Before you get to that point, connect with us at the Kole Performance Group. Schedule a 30-minute free consultation, and we can help you find another mountain to climb.