In this week’s episode of Reflect Forward: Advice From a CEO, we talk about how to stop being complacent and how to jumpstart yourself, so you don’t allow for mediocrity.

We all know that complacency kills. If you allow yourself to be complacent or mediocre you won’t drive success. Being mediocre won’t build trust and respect. If you are complacent, you’ll be left behind. You have to want and expect more from yourself and your team.

My tips for avoiding complacency include:

1. Ask for feedback. There is nothing more powerful than getting actionable feedback that kicks you out of complacency.
2. Take on a new endeavor. Trying new things and working hard to get good at them gets you out of the status quo.
3. Anticipate changes. One of my favorite ways to overcome complacency is to anticipate how my industry is going to change and then set StoneAge up to not only handle those changes but thrive in them.
4. Read more. By constantly learning new things, you’ll be inspired to try new things. Reading books, articles and other publications will give you insight on ways to improve yourself and your company. Never stop learning, especially if you never want to be mediocre.
5. Don’t drink your own Kool-Aid. All too often, people and companies get trapped into thinking that their way is the right way. They don’t want to change because they’ve been successful. They stop asking questions and repeatedly say, “this is the way we’ve always done things.” Drinking your own Kool-Aid will lead to complacency because you’ll miss opportunities to develop alternative solutions and offerings, forego new ways to look at old problems, dismiss potential relationships, and pass on ideas that might positively change the course of your life or business.

If you don’t want to be complacent, try new things, hold yourself accountable, ask for feedback, and don’t drink your own Kool-Aid.

Question of the Week

This week’s question comes from a LinkedIn follower who sent me this message:

“I’ve been told I come across as aggressive in meetings, and that people are afraid to speak up in meetings. I don’t think I am. I don’t think I am being aggressive; people are just too sensitive. What should I do?”

Great question and you’ll have to listen to hear my full answer but the gist of it is…

Don’t assume it’s not true.

Seek to understand and find out if there is some truth to the feedback. The worst thing you can do is blow it off, saying that it’s someone else’s problem. Even if no one else feels the same way, you can work to improve the relationship with the person who was brave enough to give you the feedback.

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