Tim Elmore asks a great question in his wonderful new book The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership: Embracing the Conflicting Demands of Today’s Workplace.  He asks, “How long does it take for an average person to earn a black belt in karate?”

The answer is what is so interesting.  Tim points out that average people don’t earn black belts.

Webster defines average as “a number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data, in particular the mode, median, or (most commonly) the mean, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the values in the set by their number.”

We have all heard the phrase “they reduced to the mean.”  This if often used when a team or individual has initial results far above what was expected.  Then over time, they perform at the previously expected level.  They reduced to the mean or “came back to the pack.”

The fact is most people and teams are average.  A handful are above-average and only a select few become elite.  But most are average.

But just so you know, the following are 40 Things Average People Don’t Do:

  1. Average people don’t live extraordinary lives.  They live ordinary lives.
  2. Average people don’t have good habits.  Everything is random and happens completely by chance.
  3. Average people don’t have above average or elite people around them.  You are the average of the five people closest to you.
  4. Average people don’t rise early.  They sleep late.
  5. Average people don’t arrive early.  They’re always tardy.
  6. Average people don’t lose weight.  They gain weight.
  7. Average people don’t have a healthy lifestyle.  They have an unhealthy lifestyle.
  8. Average people don’t run marathons.  They enjoy the couch.
  9. Average people don’t spend hours in prayer and bible study.  They don’t have an intimate relationship with God.
  10. Average people don’t serve others.  They serve themselves.
  11. Average people don’t give generously.  They are greedy.
  12. Average people don’t save money.  They are in debt.
  13. Average people don’t write books.  Average people don’t even read books.  They watch television.
  14. Average people don’t listen to sound advice.  They arrogant and think they know it all.
  15. Average people don’t become Eagle Scouts.  They watch others achieve that goal.
  16. Average people don’t graduate college early.  The average college student takes six years to finish.
  17. Average people don’t stay married.  They get divorced.
  18. Average people don’t like hard conversations.  They are passive-aggressive.
  19. Average people don’t show kindness.  They are angry and confrontational.
  20. Average people don’t forgive others.  They hold grudges.
  21. Average people don’t go the extra mile.  They do the bare minimum.
  22. Average people don’t make that one extra sales call or do one more rep.  They pack up 15 minutes before it’s time to go.
  23. Average people don’t continually learn.  They think they’re good enough already.
  24. Average people don’t like hard work, being stretched, or pushed out of their comfort zone.  They are lazy and like the status quo.
  25. Average people don’t like high expectations.  They want their bar set very, very low.
  26. Average people don’t sacrifice.  They are gluttonous.
  27. Average people don’t appreciate delayed gratification.  They want it and want it now.
  28. Average people don’t welcome accountability.  They don’t want anyone telling them to improve.
  29. Average people don’t feel old.  They feel young.
  30. Average people don’t take enough risks.  Ironically, not taking risks is the biggest risk of all.
  31. Average people don’t respect their elders.  Or anyone else for that matter.
  32. Average people don’t focus on the future and what’s next.  They talk about the good ‘ole days.
  33. Average people don’t talk about ideas.  They gossip about people.
  34. Average people don’t restrain their language, thoughts, behaviors, or words.  They are unfiltered, reckless, and destructive.
  35. Average people don’t think God could do anything extraordinary in their lives today.  In fact, they don’t think about God at all.
  36. Average people don’t improve the lives of the people around them.  They make them worse.
  37. Average people don’t promote others.  They self-promote.
  38. Average people don’t get excited about Mondays, only the weekends.
  39. Average people don’t leave an extraordinary legacy.  Many are forgotten by history.
  40. Average people don’t learn from their mistakes.  They commit the same ones over and over again.
  41. ***BONUS*** Average people don’t finish well.  They quit or get disqualified.
  42. ***2nd BONUS*** Average people don’t read leadership websites.

Only elite people do these things.

The Top 60 Leadership Quotes From 2021 Part 1 is my latest ebook.  For many entering a post-pandemic environment, leadership looks completely different than the pre-pandemic world.  People are more broken now. They are more uncertain. Fear and anxiousness are unwelcome constant companions. Cultures are more unhealthy. Relationships are more dysfunctional.  Hope seems to be in short supply.  Every day seems to bring a new hacking, natural disaster, or unexpected calamity.

Therefore, the fundamentals of leadership are more important than ever. The quotes in this book deal with the basics of leadership.  If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click HERE or on the image provided to download this FREE resource.  The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.

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