Imagine a CEO who—starting a few years after reaching that position—established a practice of once a year asking himself, “Am I still all in?”

In other words, he checked to make sure he was still 100% committed to being the best leader possible, to making that position a top priority in his life, and to giving his all, without qualification.

Ten years into the role, his answer was, “Not anymore,” and thus he began a process to notify the board, plan for succession and transition to the next stage of his life.

It’s not only CEOs who should adopt this all-in-or-not annual practice. We all should stop periodically to question whether we are still 100% committed to our current role and path. Ask yourself…

> Do I want to do this forever?
> Is this the right way to deploy myself professionally and/or personally?
> Does it still get me excited?
> Am I still having fun?
> Am I just as curious and passionate as ever?
> Is this the highest and best use of my time?

When and if you start coming up with negative responses, it’s time to start working on a new plan. That doesn’t mean you need to quit immediately; it means you construct a plan that sparks change. Maybe you stay in the same role, but shift how you approach your position. Perhaps you rebuild or re-energize your team. Perhaps you rethink your team’s strategy, because it’s possible the other members are also feeling less than fully motivated.

The larger your current role—and the more stakeholders you have—the greater your obligation to give it your all, week after week. 80% isn’t enough.

I love the simple question “am I still all in?” because it is a crystal-clear way to look inside and cut to the chase. “All in” isn’t a fuzzy term. There’s not room for “I am happy, but…”

All in… is all in. No hedging. It’s a binary question, with only two possible answers: yes or no.