Happy Friday, Brew Nation!
We’ve all heard the old cliché: The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. But the reality of high-performance leadership is much simpler: The grass is greener where you water it! Or, as we look at it this week… the bush grows faster where you choose to pour into it.
Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss “options” with many of my executive coaching clients. They find themselves at a crossroads, asking the typical questions: Should I go work for a different boss? Should I transition to a different company? Should I pack it all in, walk away from it all, and just retire?
It’s easy to look outward when things get tough. But God has a way of putting the exact right truth in front of me at the perfect time. Right now, I have about four different books going, but I just started reading Earned by NHL Hall -of -Famer Chris Pronger. He argues that real success on and off the ice is determined by three non-negotiables:
- Standards: The daily choices you set for yourself and the expectations you refuse to compromise.
- Adversity: The intentional ability to turn setbacks into stepping stones.
- Ownership: The exact moment you stop pointing fingers, stop blaming others, and take full responsibility for your path.
A Lesson from My Own Backyard
To show you exactly what I mean by this, let me give you a quick glimpse into a literal leadership framework playing out right in my backyard.
A while back, we planted two identical bushes on opposite sides of our outdoor living space. Same plants, same climate, same potential. But look at the difference today:
- The Abandoned Bush: On one side, we have a bush that was left to fend for itself. It didn’t get the intentional hydration or attention it needed. It’s doing well. Nothing necessarily wrong with it, but when you compare it to…
- The Nourished Bush: On the other side, right by the hose, sits its sibling. This one got water much more regularly. The downspout near the house distributes water over the walkway and directly onto the bush. Today, it’s thriving, green, and overflowing with growth, nearly three times the size of the same bush just some 15 feet away.
The difference between those two plants wasn’t the weather, the environment, or the baseline potential of the bush itself. The difference was the watering.
In your leadership, your team, and your career, you are going to look at certain areas of your life and think, “Why isn’t this thriving? Maybe I need to dig it up and plant myself somewhere else.” But before you blame the soil, look at the watering can in your hand. Are you actually pouring into the opportunities right in front of you, or are you leaving them to wither while you stare at someone else’s yard?
The Temptation to Negotiate
These three pillars confirm exactly what I see in corporate leadership every day. “Average” leaders think they have high standards in place. But the moment those standards face real adversity—a bad boss, a bad deal, or a grueling project—the negotiation begins.
They lower the bar. They compromise. Or worse, they eliminate the standard completely, blame their environment, and start looking for an exit opportunity somewhere else.
If you want to step into Uncommon Leadership, your highest standard has to be absolute ownership. You have to make the unwavering decision that you are going to take full responsibility for your results, your team, and your culture—regardless of the soil you’re currently planted in.
Years ago, a close friend gave me a brilliant piece of advice whenever I faced a major transition: “John, always make sure you are running TO something, and not running FROM something.”
Managing the Hard Choice Daily
Uncommon Leaders make the hardest decisions early in the game, and then they manage those choices every single day for the rest of their lives.
Think about it: an alcoholic doesn’t just choose to quit drinking once; they have to actively manage that exact same choice every single morning. Leadership development is no different. You choose your standard once, but you water it daily.
This concept isn’t just an operational framework; it is deeply embedded in our spiritual journey. In John 15:5, Jesus says:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
When we stop abiding—when we stop watering our roots and trying to do it all on our own strength—the fruit stops growing. But when we take ownership of our faith and abide in the right Source, we find the truth of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
- Quote of the Week
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” — Winston Churchill
Being the Uncommon Leader means realizing that the “greener grass” isn’t a location; it’s a mindset. Average leaders change their geography to find success; Uncommon Leaders change their effort. They bring the “tire shine” of excellence to the patch of ground they stand on right now.
Stop waiting for a better corporate climate, a better boss, or better circumstances. Grab the watering can, take full accountability, and watch how fast your own leadership bush begins to grow.
What You Need to Do:
The Ownership Audit
To stop running from the challenges and start watering your own grass this week, I want you to act on these three steps. Email me at coachjohngallagher@gmail.com with the subject line “GREEN” to share your commitment:
- Audit the Blame: Identify one area in your business or life where you’ve blamed a “bad boss,” a “bad deal,” or “bad timing.” Flip the script: What is your 100% ownership stake in fixing it?
- Lock the Standard: Pick one baseline standard you’ve been negotiating down when adversity strikes. Commit to keeping it non-negotiable for the next 7 days.
- Evaluate the Run: If you are currently looking at changing roles, companies, or paths, ask yourself honestly: Am I running toward a massive vision, or am I just trying to escape a hard mile?
It’s an honor to be your trusted Friday Coffee Guy. Each week, I bring what I’m learning and living in the trenches of leadership development. If this edition challenged you to put down the excuses and start watering your own grass, SHARE it with a teammate who is facing a tough choice today, then click SUBSCRIBE. Let’s grow Brew Nation together!
” The temptation to pack up and look for greener pastures will always be there when the weather gets rough. But champions know that the root system you build during the drought is exactly what sustains you for the harvest. Keep watering.”
Until next week—stay focused, stay rooted, and finish the race with extreme ownership, Champions!
