I came across a great statement recently in one of my textbooks. As part of a case study of a company that was known for its deliberate and conservative approach to getting things done (primarily that it moved really slowly!), it states, “The first thousand miles don’t count.” The author of the case study (Shein, 2010) intended the point to be that if a leader is patient and persistent while doing the right things, “things will eventually work out.” Each of those things is important in the process of leading others. Often doing the right things involves a long process of learning what the right things are, developing a strategic plan for doing them, inspiring followers to buy in to the new plan, then implementing, which could be a long and laborious experience. Patience will be needed, because most great achievements don’t happen overnight. Persistence is needed because rarely does a plan, even a greatly crafted one, go exactly as hoped for. There are always unexpected internal and external forces that challenge the implementation process. Some would argue that without challenges, true greatness can’t be achieved, and if a plan is too easy, perhaps the bar wasn’t set high enough. There has been an awful trend in the past decade of people wanting to find the easy way to get things done. One company even built an entire marketing campaign around finding the “easy button.” As appealing as that might appear on the surface, let’s face it, nothing truly of value is obtained by going the easy way. Great relationships, ministries, careers, raising of children, and much more is always going to take work – hard work. There is no easy way to achievement. Patience and persistence while doing the right things is going to be hard, but when done, worth it.
However, that little sermon isn’t really the point of why I was caught by the statement, “The first thousand miles don’t count.” The real thing I want to point out is that so many people, organizations and leaders ultimately miss hitting their potentially high marks because they stop looking forward. They look back instead of ahead. This can manifest itself through two totally different perspectives, both of which will stall someone’s or an organization’s progress forward.
First, it’s possible that the first thousand miles of someone’s career was fantastic, filled with accomplishment, and blessed with all that comes with success. For them, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of rest and self-focus. Some might use the early successes to spur along new ideas and reach new heights, but all too often, early successes breed ego, selfishness, and even laziness. These people need to forget about the first thousand miles and embark on new challenges, as if they had never succeeded. I have found that I am the most beneficial to the people around me when I am striving for something. It may be a new project, a reinvention of tried and true ideas, or my own personal commitment to becoming a better me. When I’m not striving, I become bored and pretty useless to those around me. I’m at my best in the midst of striving for something.
The other way someone needs to forget about the first thousand miles is in our regrets. All of us have done things for which we wish we had avoided. Virtually anyone who has achieved anything has also failed along the way. Unfortunately, humans have a tendency to keep replaying our failures inwardly, and for whatever reason, continually telling ourselves why we’re such a screwup. When we do this, the future becomes clouded, and we doubt our ability to ever reach the hopes and dreams we really want in life. The first thousand miles become a barrier to the next, and we miss out on the wonderful things that might be right around the next turn.
If you’re like me, you’re probably dealing with both of those descriptions of the first thousand miles. You’ve most likely had your share of victories and failures, each standing in your way to the dreams you have. Organizations do this, too. They develop their attitudes about the future based on the failures or successes behind them. Self-examination, personally or as a group, is a smart thing to do in order to become better and stay humble, however, identifying the lessons of the past (good and bad) mustn’t ever become a barrier to the future. If we’ve succeeded, great – move on and forget about it! If we’ve failed, it’s the same thing. Each of us will travel the next thousand miles whether we like it or not. So, we might as well travel them without the baggage (good or bad) of the last thousand. Leaders look forward and travel lightly.
Lead well.