I Want It All
I heard someone this week make the comment, “I want it all.” Have you ever made that comment? I have. This is kind of like “having your cake and eating it too.” The context that this comment was made was by a person asking for a list of department needs. As I listened to the discussion, I thought to myself, “There’s nothing wrong with wanting it all as long as you can reconcile what all is.” In the case here, the questions would be, is this list exhaustive; are all items going to have an impact on performance; or even, why do you want it all? Sometimes it’s important to consider the bigger picture and think about how what we are wanting/needing may affect the whole organization. The important thing is to be aware of the potential impact and be prepared to handle it responsibly. In other words, we need to reconcile what all is.
This wanting it all goes far beyond the example I gave. What if Jeff Bezos had been happy with just selling books out of his garage? For one thing, I would have been able to order supplies for my next workshop and had them the next day. He wants it all – and he continues to define what all is. What if Steve Jobs would have been okay with everyone having a bag phone? He really did want us to have it all in the palm of our hand! By the way, if you don’t know what a bag phone is – Google it. The great leaders never settle.
Wanting it all involves moving to higher heights, seeking out more people to help, more innovation to develop, or more possibilities to discover. We do, however, need to reconcile what all is and consider what having it all will entail. There will be possible/probable trade-offs, sacrifices, and costs associated with having it all. Which, maybe begs the question of whether we really can ever really have it all. I’ll leave that question to ponder another day. In the meantime, I am glad there are leaders who want it all.
Byron's Babbles 
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