“To play something fast can be easy. To play something slowly can be really hard. To play without a mistake is almost impossible.” I chose this quote of Uwe Kruger, my musical mentor, as a powerful “conceptual” note around how we go about our business every day. Let’s spend a minute with the closing phrase, without a mistake is almost impossible. Perfection is a tall order! Playing a musical piece perfectly; being the perfect parent; perfect brother; sister; friend; partner, boss or associate is in fact usually out of reach for most of us. It’s almost impossible to be the perfect __________ (you fill in the blank).
Now, is that all that this is about, simply knowing that we’re going to make mistakes? It’s part of it, but I believe there’s a deeper message here. I believe it has to do with self-forgiveness. Most of the people I come in contact with in teaching and coaching are far gentler with others than they are with themselves.
Forgive – to grant pardon, to cease to blame or feel resentment,
to excuse, absolve, release
We’re all guilty to some degree. The message here is to simply be kind to you. Play a bit in life, and realize in the end, it is still a game. It isn’t life or death. Without a mistake is almost impossible. Don’t worry about perfection in leading others; just let your work life bring you some joy. You deserve it. You’ve earned it. Forgive yourself. Grant yourself a personal pardon. Take your work seriously – it matters – but then let it go and play!
-Don Brown
Don Brown dedicates his career to ‘helping people with people’ in leadership, sales and customer service. Bilingual and experienced at the executive and line-level alike, you see the results of his work across dozens of industries, including brewing, automotive, airline, banking and medical equipment.
Speaking, writing, coaching and selling to the best – Ford Motor Company, Anheuser-Busch, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson, Jaguar Cars, Hilton Hotels and many, many more – Don takes great pride in long-standing customer relationships (some running well over twenty years!)
