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Think about the last time a colleague let you down. Now think about the last time you let a colleague down.

Chances are that you explained the two very differently. When they missed the deadline, it was because they were disorganised, or too hasty, or they simply didn’t care enough. When you missed the deadline, it was because of your unreasonable workload, your sick child, or the meeting that ran an hour over.

It’s human nature: we judge ourselves by our intentions — always noble — and everyone else by their actions. Psychologists call it the actor–observer bias: we attribute our own stumbles to circumstance, and everyone else’s to character. In effect, we hold a lower standard, a lower benchmark, a lower expectation of ourselves than we do for everybody around us.

If you’re thinking ‘that’s not me’, then you’re very likely doing it right now.

Your effectiveness as a leader is not a matter of intention; it’s a matter of your impact. Every leader I’ve ever met has noble intentions. I’ve never met the leader who aspires to destroy shareholder value, irritate customers and alienate staff; and yet many do.

A noble intention sets no one apart; everyone has one. What sets you apart is the discipline to judge yourself by your impact, not your intent — and the humility to hold yourself, at the very least, to the same standard you demand of everyone else.

INSPIRATION FROM OTHERS

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” – Richard Feynman

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Charles Darwin

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON

• Who are you currently judging harshly, and what context might you be missing?
• Where have you recently excused your own behaviour with a reason you wouldn’t accept from someone else?
• What’s one action you can take today to close the gap between your impact and your intentions?

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