Thanks to Rachel Perry, Director of Issues Communications at United Way Worldwide, for reminding me this week how incumbent politicians frame there message.  It always goes something like this…

“Good start…. right direction…. more to do.”

They start with the suggestion that that their first term in office has been successful, but they give us a reason to vote for them again.  Some incumbents have even closed with, “Let’s finish the job.”

How does this look in your business as a leader? Are you off to the right start, and headed in the right direction?  How do you keep your team inspired to stay innovative and progressive? How do you create the sense of urgency to ensure that change continues?

John Kotter’s work on change leadership suggests that building in the right amount of healthy tension against reality is imperative, if we are looking to continue to lead with effectiveness.  World-class leadership coach, author, and trainer, Marshall Goldsmith summed it up in his book title, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

It’s easy for leaders and their teams to become complacent in goodness.  But aren’t we pursuing greatness?