Alibi Ike was a character in a series of short stories written by Ring Lardner.  They centered around a baseball player who was prone to making excuses for his shortcomings.

Several excuses are always less convincing than one. - Aldous Huxley

In the midst of the recent layoffs and reorganization at my place of business, my group inherited a company lifer from another area.  While he has a finance background, and seems to be a decent guy, I think he’s going to have trouble lasting through the next layoff.  The reason: he likes to make excuses.  He’s our very own Alibi Ike.

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.  - Henry Ward Beecher

Well, they sound innocent enough:

“I just took over this project, so you’ll have to bear with me.”

“We used to have a larger staff, but I’ve lost 40% of my people.”

“I thought so-and-so was handling that one.”

“Everyone’s morale is down due to the layoffs.”

“I wanted to stay late to help, but I had a doctor’s appointment last night.”

“I know it’s crunch time, but I had this vacation planned long before I was transferred into this department.”

On their own, they don’t sound like a big deal.  But I sit within earshot of Ike, and I see a pattern developing.  A pattern that makes me think that Ike’s a little full of shit.

Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. - Don Wilder and Bill Rechin

If Ike only knew what our boss valued most: accountability.  I once worked for a controller who was, err, let’s just say he was exacting.  He looked like John Locke from Lost.  When our computer system crashed the night before his flash numbers were due, he would accept no excuse for missing the deadline.  “We have four hours.  Get your ass and a calculator over to shipping and get me my sales numbers!” True, he was a prick, but he did get his flash numbers in on time.

Success is a tale of obstacles overcome, and for every obstacle overcome, an excuse not used.  - Robert Brault

The controller taught me a lesson that day: any obstacle can be overcome if you perservere.  So when you’re hit with a challenge, stop whining about how hard it is.  Challenges are difficult in their design; that’s why they’re called challenges.  Suck it up and find a way around it.  Don’t let yourself off easy with an excuse.

The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse. ~Author Unknown

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