“Don’t Half-Ass It” - Matthew McConaughey’s Dad
Too often, we don’t give life our all. We take things as they come, we excuse ourselves for mediocre results because of obstacles or we just decide to take it easy for a while.
In Matthew McConaughey’s memoir book titled Greenlights, he shares his father’s simple, yet impactful, response to his big news that he was changing his education plans from law school to film school. “Don’t half-ass it.”
In eye care, I have found that there are two categories where we find ourselves “half-assing” it: Fear and Hubris.
FEAR: The fear that you are not good enough to accomplish your goals can lead you to half-ass it. I see it most commonly when someone stays in a role that doesn’t fit their professional goal because they are scared to step out. It’s often an optometrist working in a practice setting that is going to change “someday” or is so big and well-established that others are afraid to compete.
It also can happen when someone starts a new practice and then dedicates too much time to working outside the practice to make money for the start-up. Start-ups are tough, require a lot of attention and there is a balance between making ends meet and working to build the new (unprofitable) practice.
HUBRIS: “Overly confident.” “Arrogant.” “Cocky.” When I catch myself half-assing it, it is usually because I am demonstrating hubris. I feel fortunate to be a guy who has “been there and done that.” I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way and seen many scenarios of what works and what doesn’t. So, sometimes, I find myself simply “going through the motions” when dealing with major situations at work.
Unfortunately, this usually takes a dramatic failure to recognize in your business or yourself. Jim Collins' book, How the Mighty Fall, highlights several companies who allowed their own hubris to take them to ruin and we have all been talking about the fall of Blockbuster for several years.
LeadershipOD Fundamental #4, Face the Facts, is designed to help you see it coming before the big failure. It has certainly woken me up over the years.