If anything was going to touch my propensity for perfection, it was writing a book.

It did.  And it has.

The mental wrangling that it has taken to unhook myself from wanting to get it just right is second only to the deep gratitude I feel toward the leaders who have so generously shared their stories.

And then there is The Making Magnificence Project® itself, something that I began five years ago and is the foundation for the book.  My desire to capture its essence, to be true to it, as it moves into the world in this written form, is as important to me as being true to the narratives it holds.

Combine these inclinations with the fact that conversation, rather than writing, is my preferred first language, and I’ve had the perfect formula for perfection.

Aware that seeking the perfect is a bait and switch, I attempted to shift my thinking.

That helped.

Somewhat.

And then, I was talking with a colleague and out it popped.

What I’m really after with this book, I told them, what I really want, is to write something I am proud of.

That’s it.

Which made perfect seem very, very small.

Of what do you wish to be deeply proud?

And what challenge is yet to be, pulling you, however daunting?

Next month I’m honored to be the featured speaker at the invitation-only meeting of the National Association of CEOs.  I’ll be talking about Magnificent Leadership™, the subject of my forthcoming book, and maximizing one’s talents to create a leadership legacy of which you are proud.