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I saw this headline in Tech Industry this week, “Apple CEO Cook: ‘We’re unrivaled’ in innovation”. It made me think of being too self confident. Just like the Swiss watch makers, and many other industries. The thing about innovation is that you will never see it coming. That is why it is called innovation.

Self confidence is a good trait. Don’t get me wrong. But so is being humble. If Tim Cook really believes that no one else is as innovative as Apple, it is time to sell your stock. Innovation is particularly strong when it crosses industries. If Tim Cook is only looking at computer technology companies, maybe Apple is the most innovative. But his real threat is someone or some industry that is unknown in the tech world.

Here are three questions you should ask yourself this week.

1. Is my self confidence creating blind spots for me? Self confidence is very powerful, but self confidence overused is a weakness. If you suspect that you are too confident, get out of your comfort zone.

2. Am I continuing to stretch myself? Are you in the mode of maintaining your routine, and have stopped learning new skills? Find something new, something relevant but different, and spend some time growing.

3. Where do people challenge me? If you are in an environment that people are afraid to challenge you, you will never be working at your potential. I don’t mean you should put yourself in a hostile work environment. You should find an environment where it is acceptable to challenge others, to be challenged, and where it is fine to fail, and learn.

I hope Tim Cook is not in a corner, and blind to Apple’s challenges. Because they are out there.

We all need hobbies to provide an outlet for stress, and for a sense of enjoyment. Just over a year ago I decided to try oil painting. It was actually my wife that started with some lessons, and then she taught me. Since then I expanded my knowledge by studying techniques from videos, and from just plain practice.

Oil painting has taught me many lessons.

1. Slow down. Patience is a virtue. Trying to create a painting fast is not possible, and not fun. You will not like the outcome, so slow down and enjoy the process. Just like most of life, rushing does not help.

2. An error is rarely a problem. Painting will never turn out how you want or you plan when you start. You will always make mistakes, and you will learn to overcome them. You will learn how to change, how to paint over, and how to recover from an incorrect splat of paint. We should do the same in life, learn to see mistakes in the positive light of learning.

3. Learning is a journey. I have partially completed several paintings. None are done. There is always way to improve a painting, and ways to improve your skills. The pictures of the paintings I have included in this article are not considered done by me. Well maybe the wine bottle is as done as it will ever be. The picture of the gnomes, I started over 2 years ago, and it is not done. I know what I want to change, and how it should look. I am not in a hurry. Maybe I will finish it this year. The other part of this journey is that I continue to learn and grow, painting by painting. Every learning adventure we encounter we should look at as a growing ongoing process.

4. Your journey is really your own. No matter what a company or organization will tell you, your journey and your progress is dependent on you. Painting is therapeutic. I can relax and create. Once you get past the “judgement” phase, when you think everyone can judge your paintings. You can discover the fact that the paintings are really for yourself. It frees you to improve for yourself. No one person or organization should define the perfect development path for you. Make it your own.

There are many lessons in painting, and there are probably many lessons in your hobby also. Take a look. Dive deeper into why you enjoy your hobby.

The paintings I have posted: A dragon face (98% complete), some gnomes (85%), A wine bottle with grapes (99% complete), and finally some goblins (5% complete). Most artist don’t show unfinished paintings. I guess it just means I am not yet an artist, only a student.

This weeks question, “Where else besides a hobby can you find a multitude of leadership lessons?”.

 

Last week I wrote about how excellence is linked to enjoyment. Sticking with that theme, I found another quote that made me stop and think. Warren Bennis said, “Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity. The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights are to be found only in studying the exemplary.”

How do you study excellence to improve your ability? If you can’t answer that question, maybe you need to revisit your desire for excellence. If you are truly on a path of excellence, then you should be learning from the best. You might be able to study successful people in the field, read books, attend learning sessions, or find a mentor.

Learning from the ordinary will happen by default. You can only learn from the best by being proactive. It will require that you step out of your comfort zone, and commit to a plan of action.

The question this week, “Are you truly committed to excellence, or are you only committed to the idea of excellence?“

Pearl Buck once said, “The secret of joy in work is contained in one word: excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” I hope you are one of the people that enjoy what you do. How do you link excellence with enjoyment?

Over my years in industry I have met individuals that never seem to get the details right. They try, they take action, they work fast, but they never seem to check their work. They have errors and mistakes in the data or in the facts, or in the way they present the story. But yet, they don’t seem to care.

After reading this quote, it made me think about these people. Are they just not happy doing what they are doing? If you try to help them, coach them, it doesn’t seem to stick. In some cases they become angry that you are even trying to help.

On the other hand when you are striving for excellence, your attention to detail is heightened. Finding happiness in excellence is a great goal. Alignment in actions, thoughts, goals, purpose, and passion is the starting point.

Have you found a path to excellence that also makes you happy?