As leaders, we know the importance of strategic planning with the end in mind. We understand that to just get started doing whatever activity we feel like isn’t going to be an effective way for us to reach our objectives. We must have, what many have stated, “laser-sharp focus” and plan all of our tasks based on a clear goal and vision of what we want our organization to accomplish. I agree with all of that. People who know me would tell you that I am a consummate planner. I love to put together great plans of action that reach months and even years into the future. I’m wired in such a way that if I don’t plan, I’m anxious and uncomfortable. I must plan ahead in order for me to be at my best.
There are certainly positives and negatives about being the way I am, and I have learned well the art of being an organized and fully planned-out leader, while being able to be flexible when things need to change because of necessity or opportunity. I believe that I am best able to be flexible when I am fully prepared, so that when I must improvise, I can do so with confidence. This is not unlike the great jazz players who seem to improvise with ease and without a care in the world. However, don’t kid yourself, the best improvisationalists know exactly what they are doing as they do it, because they’ve invested the long hours in the practice room to know how to play their instrument and how the mechanics of music theory works. They can improv, because they are prepared.
But, I’m off topic! The point I want to make today is that while we plan with the end in mind, and we thoroughly prepare so that we can do our best, we must be able to view the progress we make along the way with a positive attitude. My tendency can be to have the end in mind so concretely in my head that I’m never happy with the incremental steps I am making during the process. Instead of celebrating the gains of today, I will lament the fact that I’m not yet where I want myself or my organization to be. I want the end in mind right now! I was reminded of this just recently when I got the opportunity to compare a snapshot of one of the groups I lead with where they were a few years ago. In my head, all I was seeing was that we still weren’t where I’d like us to be, but when I compared the two snapshots side by side, I saw clearly how far they have come and the progress we have made together. It was a huge reminder for me to view the steps we make as progress that will help get us to the finish line. This can happen not only as we lead our people, but also in our personal lives. My advice to all of us is to occasionally take our eyes off of the end in mind, so that we can celebrate the victories along the way. I’m not sure I’ll ever totally stop to smell the roses, but I think I can, at least, slow down long enough to take a picture as I run by them. I’m going to try and I hope you will too. Everyone around us will be happier!
Lead well.