Companies stop growing when the price gets too high and so do people. In fact, whenever you fall short of your goals, there's normally a price you weren't willing to pay. So it's important to challenge yourself with the following question:

"What wasn't I willing to do to make it happen?"

You ask this question not to beat yourself up, but to get answers and a renewed focus that will prevent you from repeating the same errors and adhering to the wrong strategy. For instance, if you're in sales and have just finished a poor month, you might ask yourself the following versions of this question to get answers that will increase your performance:

• What skills weren't I willing to develop?
• What customers weren't I willing to call back, or wait on, or try one more closing technique on?
• What hours weren't I willing to work?
• What preparation wasn't I willing to do
• What attitude wasn't I willing to maintain?
• What setbacks were I not willing to forget about and get over?
• What excuses were I not willing to let go of?
• What goals were I not willing to set that would have kept me focused and motivated?

• What skills weren't I willing to develop?
• Which people were I not willing to coach, train, empower and mentor?
• What strategies were I not willing to employ or abandon that could have produced better performance?
• What preparation was I not willing to provide for my team to help ensure their success?
• What hours were I not willing to work?
• What extra mile did I fail to walk?
• What advice was I not willing to seek out or listen to?
• What poor performers were I not willing to terminate?
• Which top performers were I not willing to adequately reward?
• What vision was I not willing to develop or share?