As a teenager I informed my coach why I hadn’t followed his directions for improving my skills. The elaborate and detailed reasons, I figured, would certainly convince him of my plight.
With an expression that told me he recognized my technique, he told me: Excuses are like arm pits. Everyone has two of them, and they both stink.
That juvenile moment has served me, particularly when I attempt to tell these excuses as an adult:
“We weren’t able to deliver because they . . .”
“I don’t have time to (fill in the blank with my children’s requests).”
“I can’t say anything. They won’t listen to me.”
“That policy wasn’t written for us.”
“We’re so unique, it’s impossible for them to understand us.”
P.S. My friend, Henry, has keen insights on excuses and how they kill accountability.
When we negotiate our behaviors we inform others that we’ll compromise our values.(And no one is buying excuses.)
[bctt tweet=”When we negotiate our behaviors we inform others that we’ll compromise our values. -Craig Ross”]
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
