It's not the deck I'm paying for

They say the sign of a true master is someone who makes the difficult look easy.

That’s been playing out in my backyard this week. I’m getting a new deck installed and I’ve been watching the two tradies building it.

At first glance, it’s just a couple of posts, some concrete, a few joists and nails. Simple, right?

But when I stood there watching them for 5 minutes (oh the pressure!) I noticed the real craft. It's the small checks, the millimetre-perfect cuts, the tap - not whack - of a nail. They were all just little things that no one will notice when it’s done, but that will be glaringly obvious if they’re wrong.

And that’s the mindset shift: I'm not paying for the deck. I'm paying for the years of experience that made it look easy. I can't get that no matter how many YouTube videos I watch.

It’s a subtle but critical distinction. In leadership, how often do we forget that? We compare staff and ask why he can't perform to the level that she does? But it’s not what we are seeing that makes her a master. It’s the thousands of invisible reps before it that do.

We see the surface - the calm leader in the crisis, the confident decisions in the face of uncertainty, or the seamless conversation that lands the sale. But behind each of those is the same thing that built my deck - thousands of small adjustments made over years. Quiet effort with private failure and continual refinement no one sees.

There’s a kind of peace that comes from recognising this. A mindset mastery moment. It allows you to stop comparing, stop rushing, and stop wanting to be something you're not. You stop assuming it should feel easy all the time.

When you can do that, you can focus on the reps that matter without the mental noise that causes us stress..

As always, would love your thoughts on this.

After a little more confidence? Check this link out if you are.

Speak soon,

Cheers

Darren

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