The Standard: Issue No. 2
When Excellence Becomes a Distraction
I came home after a full day at work — the kind where every hour asks something of you, and you move from clarity to decision-making to putting out fires with almost no space in between.
Later that night, I sat down at my desk, opened my laptop, and pulled up the document where I’ve been shaping a new chapter for RESOLVE — the natural next layer of the leadership and performance work I’ve built over decades.
And almost immediately, I dropped into my default mode:
Tightening sentences.
Tweaking structure.
Perfecting details that were already fine.
It looked responsible.
It felt dishonest.
I wasn’t elevating the work.
I was using it as cover.
Not out of fear of failing — that’s not my pattern.
But because stepping into this next chapter requires a level of visibility and decisiveness that perfectionism tries to delay.
High-achieving women rarely avoid through chaos.
We avoid through competence.
Leading others is straightforward.
Making clear decisions about your own development takes a different kind of honesty.
And in that moment, I realized:
My standards had turned into a shield.
My refinement had become a hiding place.
So I closed the document.
Took one aligned step.
And the friction eased — not because the action was big, but because it was true.
TODAY’S PRINCIPLE
Perfectionism isn’t about standards.
It’s about safety.
High-performing women don’t stall because they lack knowledge.
They stall when they hesitate to step into the identity they already know is next.
Here’s what brought me back into alignment this week:
Three Identity Interruptions for Women Who Lead
1. “What am I perfecting that doesn’t need perfecting?”
This reveals where you’re stalling.
2. “Which version of me is being protected right now?”
The responsible one?
The tired one?
The evolving one?
Naming her creates clarity.
3. “What is one honest action that collapses the distance?”
Make it small.
Make it visible.
Make it aligned.
Example:
If the next version of you trains with structure, the honest action might not be a full workout — it might be laying out your clothes, blocking your calendar, or taking a 10-minute walk.
Honesty > intensity.
Identity shifts through small, visible proof that you’re acting like the woman you say you are.
CLOSING REFLECTION
Women who lead uphold high standards everywhere.
But the hardest leadership you’ll ever practice is the leadership of self.
Your next level isn’t waiting on perfection.
It’s waiting on presence —
the moment you stop editing who you are and start acting from who you’ve already chosen to be.
On My Mind This Week
Reading:
Do Hard Things — Steve Magness
(a grounded look at real resilience and why true toughness has nothing to do with perfection)
Watching:
The Beast in Me with Claire Danes. Heavy, but good.
Listening:
Brené Brown & Adam Grant — Finding Our Strong Ground
(a conversation about steadiness and showing up with clarity)
Until next week…
Lead with clarity. Live with intention.
Sami