Reasons vs. Excuses

We all know people who seem to accomplish every task they attempt; the salesman who always meets his quota, the clerical person who always has a clean desk and an empty inbox, the student who turns in every assignment on time. What is it about these people that makes them different from people who struggle with deadlines and goals?

Most people would suggest that organization is the key to getting things done on time. It is hard to argue with that and I certainly agree that organization makes achievement easier. But I believe that the real differentiator is commitment. Most people hear goals as suggestions, but high achievers commit to reaching or exceeding goals. I am always frustrated by a salesman who schedules a meeting for 10:15 - 10:30. What is it, 10:15 or 10:30? If you can’t commit to 10:15 then make the appointment for 10:30.

What’s the difference between acknowledging a goal and committing to a goal? I was once a volunteer finance committee member for the Arlington Life Shelter. They scheduled an important meeting with a State Legislator who was considering making a significant donation to the Life Shelter and asked me to attend.

I arrived 5 minutes early and was surprised that no one from the Life Shelter was there. The time came for the meeting and I had no choice but to start in on a presentation (which I made up as I went along!) Several minutes into the presentation the Director and her marketing coordinator arrived with the “real” presentation in PowerPoint form. As I continued with my spiel the marketing coordinator attempted unsuccessfully to load the PowerPoint. Fortunately, the Director was able to take over where I left off and bumbled her way through a haphazard presentation. Much to my surprise the donor came through with a nice check about a week later.

While the outcome was successful, I was not pleased to be representing an organization which cared so little about professionalism. When I called the Director the next day she was surprised to learn of my concerns. She shrugged off their late arrival, blaming it on traffic. She seemed amused by the PowerPoint fiasco, as if it was unavoidable. My point to her was that the errors were avoidable. With a large donation on the line there was no excuse for not arriving early and taking a few minutes to test the PowerPoint on the available computer system. It was clear to me that I was not working with people who were committed to our shared goals and I resigned my volunteer position shortly thereafter.

There are always reasons why things don’t go as planned. Severe weather, illness and unforeseen emergencies come to mind. “I got a late start,” “I didn’t know there was a school zone on the way” or “I couldn’t get my printer to work” are all excuses, not reasons for failure. Committed people go to great lengths to ensure positive outcomes. Committed people print the report well in advance and leave early to make sure they arrive on time. Committed people leave nothing to chance.

When you find yourself looking back over a failure, ask yourself if the problems could have been avoided. Could you have been better prepared? Could you have anticipated the buyer’s objections and overcome them? Could you have done more research to ensure that the conclusions in your report were ironclad? Could you have asked for more input to be certain that you had all your bases covered? Maybe there were reasons why you failed, but more likely there were excuses.



We only get so many opportunities to succeed in life. When an opportunity presents itself why not commit to doing everything within your power to come out on top?