There’s a human tendency—almost universal—to declare that things are good enough. That we’ve done well. That we’re doing just fine. That the work, at least for now, can pause.
But I’ve never found much value in that posture.
Because buried in the phrase “we’re doing great” is often a quiet surrender. A resignation to the status quo. A quiet permission to stop climbing. And while it may sound affirming, comforting even, that mindset rarely builds anything that lasts. It doesn’t ask the hard questions. It doesn’t unlock the next version of ourselves. And it certainly doesn’t transform anything.
The real value, in my experience, lives in critique. In analysis. In the disciplined belief that we can be more, do more, and serve more deeply. That belief—the constant reach for better—has always been the posture I choose.
In the nearly two decades I spent leading Instrument, my partners and I never chased ease or celebration. We hungered for a more perfect business. Not because perfection was ever attainable. Not because it served our egos. But because we understood that the pursuit itself was sacred. That the effort toward better outcomes benefitted our people and our clients. That leadership wasn’t about maintaining comfort—it was about shouldering the burden of progress.
I’ll say this in the clearest terms I can:
A leader who believes we’re doing great is a leader who has stopped taking us somewhere better.
And that doesn’t just apply to business. It applies even more urgently to our country, our state, our county, and our cities.
We are living in a moment where the temptation to declare false victories is everywhere. Where the political instinct is to highlight metrics of improvement, to soothe the public with curated facts, and to celebrate marginal gains as if they represent bold transformation.
But the job of public service—real public service—isn’t to comfort people into complacency. It is to hold fast to a vision of what could be. To hunger for a more perfect union, not just in theory but in daily practice. The same mindset that drives great companies forward must drive great communities forward. Not just because it leads to better outcomes, but because it dignifies the people we’re meant to serve.
And let’s be honest: transformation is not born of satisfaction. It doesn’t come from telling ourselves we’re doing well. It comes from knowing we’re capable of far more.
I know not everyone thrives in that state of being. For many, the idea of living in a constant state of “not quite there yet” is exhausting. I respect that. But for me, that mindset has always been oxygen.
The belief in better.
The love of the long road.
The commitment to self-improvement.
This is where I thrive.
I don’t find happiness in short-term applause. I find it in the slow, hard-won victories that reveal themselves over five, ten, even fifteen years. I measure success not by comfort today, but by the clarity and courage of the path we’ve walked over time. That’s the rhythm of real change. The kind that matters.
And to get there, we need a different posture. One of discipline. Of persistence. Of vision. A posture that resists the lie of “good enough” and replaces it with the question: what more is possible?
That is what leadership should look like.
In a company. In a city. In a county. In a country.
Because a leader who seeks comfort will never bring about change.
And a community that is told it’s doing fine will never rise to greatness.
We deserve better than that. We are capable of more. And the future will be built by those who refuse to settle.
If today’s message sparked something in you, share it with someone who’s striving for better—someone who believes that “good enough” is never the final destination.
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Real leadership lives in the space between humility and ambition. It’s not about being content with today—it’s about believing in what tomorrow could become, and showing up every day to help build it.
Stay steady. Stay focused. The work is the way.
See you tomorrow.
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