I recently had a pool professional come and work on my pool. The water had gotten out of whack and it was suggested (confirmed with a second opinion) that the pool was overdue to be dumped, refilled, and started again.

The pool guy’s job was to get the pump set up and come back with the chemicals in the morning. My job was to monitor the emptying of the pool and to start filling the pool as soon as it was empty. He told me that any delay in restarting to fill the pool would result in a permanent stain on the plaster.

I followed his instructions to the letter, but to me his caution sounded a lot like my caution to leaders to not stop trying to improve. Raising the bar should be part of the discussion at all times, good and bad. Not doing so can leave a mark. Just consider the “bad marks” left by the leaders of companies such as Sears, Blockbuster, or Kodak.

Are you still “filling your pool”  or have the urgencies of the day (PPP, furloughs, and the multitude of business disruptions) taken your attention off the activities of raising the bar? Don’t let them. There will be consequences. If anything, the last two months have accelerated change and competition, not lessened it. It’s time to leave your mark…and in a good way.