I had a conversation today with my social media manager — someone who is carrying a heavy task list and still showing up with commitment and clarity. She walked me through her plan to complete a large set of deliverables this week, and she asked thoughtful, clarifying questions about my expectations.
What I encouraged her to do — and what I encourage everyone in my life to do — is simple:
Zoom out, then zoom back in.
So many people live zoomed in. They stay buried in the task and miss the bigger picture. They don’t connect the dots. They don’t step back long enough to see how their work fits into a larger mission. And sometimes, as my wife wisely said, it’s because people are intimidated by the vision. They don’t want to make a mistake.
But today, I’m grateful for someone who did the opposite — who asked questions early, asked them often, and kept moving forward.
We all need people like that.
People who keep charging ahead.
People who take in real-time information and pivot when needed.
People who think critically, stay focused, and refuse to leave the future to chance.
That’s excellence — not perfection, but intentionality.