No Excuses Approach

Have you ever known people who seem to full of excuses? Reasons why they can’t do something! This particular kind of helplessness can be exhausting. Working with individuals that make excuses is draining. The negativity and energy that they project into making their case, depletes positive energy as their excuses resonate as complaints. Beware of these people for they can infect a home or place of work and it can take a great deal of energy to reverse their affects.

People become like those who they are surrounded by! So leaders have to be the ones to project an atmosphere of positive attitudes. We must be aware that making excuses or complaining is easier that facing the task at hand. When we give in to these individuals, we empower them and weaken our ability to regain control so that their negative power is diminished. We must be confident in creating an No Excuses approach to facing challenges or obstacles at home and at work. When we understand the importance of this approach, we are able to examine each obstacle in a way that allows us to see solutions and to avoid running from the problem. Leaders that make excuses are only postponing the inevitable and the problems they are attempting to avoid will only get bigger and more difficult to resolve. As leaders, we should never become comfortable with half-truths or information that permits excuses. Instead, we have to work for taking action even with that action is uncomfortable.

Allowing people to make excuses only feeds their feelings of helplessness, dependence, and sense of inadequacy. Facing the choices and making a choice is actually easier and less draining than running from situations. Remember we have a right to choose our attitude and our response. People who choose excuses are running away from opportunities while people who choose to face the situation are about to learn and grow. There are times we all would like to run from having to make decisions, but when we make an excuse, we forfeit our ability to get through it on our own terms.

Consider having a discussion with yourself or with the people that we work with or live with.

Ask these questions: Do I make excuses? If so why? Am I willing to face the choices and to take charge of my life? If not what are you afraid of? Think back to your teen years! Teens spend the majority of their life wanting to be in charge of their own decisions. Tired of hearing parents or guardians tell them why they can’t do things. Then when we are old enough to make our own decisions, we have to be ware of copying people in our lives who made excuses that limited us.

What are people in your life or business making excuses about today? Is that they don’t have enough time? There aren’t enough resources? Etc. Gordon MacDonald says, “People who are out of shape mentally, fall victim to ideas that are destructive.” People who make excuses need to be taught how to shape their thoughts so that they take responsibility for their decisions and are willing to make decisions instead of excuses.

I recently completed a strategic planning retreat with a company that had a motto of No Excuses.

When ideas were presented they were allowed to share obstacles and challenges that they would face to meet the goals, but anything that sounded like an excuse was questioned. The group created a strategic plan filled with possibilities in with methods to make their goals a reality. There business is challenging and very unpredictable as are many and the future of their jobs depends on their success with very little control over government regulations, yet they have fully accepted that excuses will only prevent them from reaching their potential.

Businesses today will fold very quickly, if employees are allowed to be apathetic and to make excuses. Leaders and human resource personnel have to be clear about the expectations they have of the staff. We are renting behaviors when people come to work for us so make sure you are getting your money’s worth and rent the positive behaviors. Be prepared to teach people about the impact of negativity and help them understand the advantages of taking responsibility of their decisions instead of trying to excuse them away.