Funny What We Get Used To
From The Playbook
It's funny what people can get used to.
A noise in the building.
A drawer that sticks.
The client who complains every week.
The employee everyone has quietly learned to work around.
At first, those things drive you crazy. You notice them constantly, and you tell yourself you'll deal with them when things settle down.
Then one day you realize you don't notice them anymore.
Not because they got better.
Because they became familiar.
I think the same thing happens in business.
The things that frustrate us the most have a way of becoming part of the scenery. We stop questioning them. We stop talking about them. Eventually, we stop seeing them altogether.
That's where I think businesses quietly get into trouble.
Very few businesses change overnight.
They change a little at a time.
One process that never gets fixed.
One difficult conversation that keeps getting postponed.
One standard that slips because addressing it feels uncomfortable.
Before long, what used to bother you simply becomes "the way we do things."
I've seen it happen more times than I can count.
Not because owners don't care.
Because they're busy.
Because they're solving today's problems.
Because familiarity has a funny way of disguising itself as normal.
That's why I think one of the most important responsibilities of a leader is creating enough space to notice what everyone else has stopped seeing.
To occasionally step back and ask questions like:
"Why are we still doing it this way?"
"Is this really the standard we want to be known for?"
"What have we simply learned to live with?"
Those questions matter.
Because businesses don't drift toward excellence.
They drift toward whatever the leader is willing to tolerate.
And over time, what you tolerate becomes your culture.
Maybe that's the question worth asking this week.
What have you gotten so used to that you no longer see it?
Make Your Move
Walk through your business this week with fresh eyes.
Pretend it's your first day.
What stands out?
What's being accepted today that wouldn't have been acceptable a year ago?
Pick one thing and commit to changing it.
Small improvements have a way of changing much bigger things over time.
Your Next Step
One of the biggest benefits of having someone outside your business is that they notice what you've stopped noticing.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy meeting with owners.
Not because I have all the answers, but because a fresh perspective often uncovers opportunities that have been hiding in plain sight.
If you're wondering what the next step looks like for your business, let's have a conversation.
We'll learn more about where you are today, where you want to go, and whether Maverick Growth is the right fit to help you get there.
If it is, we'll walk you through what that journey looks like. If it isn't, we'll tell you that too.
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