Staying In Your Lane

I can understand the temptation to be more to others, especially if you have a heart of service. Just because you can do a thing does not necessarily mean you ought to. There are hidden costs which you will pay later when you don't stay in your lane.

Going beyond a scope obligates you to new expectations by the buyer. I have made this mistake many times, and the feeling of unmet expectations by someone you simply wanted to help is unsettling when agreements are not clear.

There's a lot of advantage to being a focused person in a world of vast options. You:

• Build a reputation for being the best
• Can control the customer experience and deliver what you say
• Can have clear boundaries of starting and ending
• Can increase your efficiencies
• Can avoid stress

Thus, you have to be clear on what your lane is. Are you hired to provide consulting services? Define and stay in scope based on agreements you make.

Are you invited as a guest to an event? Don't act like the host.

Are you tempted to converse about deals you can't do? Go do smaller deals until you can do the bigger deals.

You can always change lanes and reinvent yourself and your offerings. But it's hard to unwind things when you have committed to bad deals or vague expectations.

Be sure you are clear in your own head. When you communicate, lead. Say what you will and won't do. It's much better to build your credibility by being congruent and ensuring your output and dealings in the world are based on the lane you choose to stay in.

This is a personal and professional process that can protect your downside while building your upside.