No One Is Put Together
When I was in my early 20s, I had a hard-to-obtain meeting with the COO of the organization I was working for.
It’s hard to overestimate how much the staff and interns idolized this guy. He was and is a fantastic leader, always dedicated to improving his leadership ability, emotional intelligence, and communication. As a teenager in my first job fresh out of college, he seemed like the epitome of success to me: he had the reins of a multi-million dollar organization, a national speaking platform, work/life balance, admirable character, deep insight into human nature, a loyal staff, and an implacable desire to constantly learn and improve himself.
I will never forget what this 41-year-old guy told me when I asked him what the age was I could expect to “have it all together.” I assumed there was a point in one’s 30s or 40s, maybe, when one could reach a “personal best” of some kind; not perfection, per se, but a sense of having “made it,” having overcome one’s demons and flaws and maldisciplines, confident in one’s ability to handle whatever life might throw at them.
He looked at me a little puzzled, or maybe bemused, and said, “I’ll let you know when I get there. You’d be surprised at how often I need to make phone calls to peers of mine to seek counsel, insight, or when I just don’t know how to handle life and the pressure of leadership anymore.”
