Here is an adapted post from a recent school dialogue that illustrates the importance for leaders to pay attention to the details. “End-point position errors” are a bad thing when it comes to calculating trajectories in space travel. They are to be avoided. Space exploration scientists know that even the smallest miscalculation can end in disaster for a spacecraft and its crew as they end up fatally off course. The required level of precision is virtually incomparable to other fields, except perhaps neurosurgery. Though not as imminently life-threatening as space travel and brain surgery, architecture requires similar care and attention to the details. When building a cathedral, one cannot lay the early bricks out of alignment or not level, because it will put the entire project at risk. Like a trajectory calculation, measurements must be precise when laying the first bricks, however, the challenge is that these calculations must be made continuously and precisely every single time, so masons cannot become lax in their attention.
The same challenge exists for leaders. Details must be handled precisely and relationships must be continually maintained. Leaders must be vigilant in making sure the details are handled well at the beginning, brick by brick, then, once in motion, stay attentive to the execution of the plans. The daily routine might tempt them to take their eyes off the ultimate objective, causing the people in the organization to lose interest in the project and the leader/follower relationship to become lackluster, however, the leader must remain fully engaged and continually help everyone stay focused.
The apostle Paul stated, “Let us not grow weary of doing good” (Galatians 6:9a, English Standard Version), however, this doesn’t imply that our efforts must continue ad nauseam. Paul continued his statement with an encouragement to keep one’s eyes on the future rewards. This is the law of sowing and reaping when Paul stated, “for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (vs. 9b). Likewise, leaders cannot simply react to problems and fix things. Instead, they must be vision casters as to what the possibilities ahead are, beginning long before work on a project even begins. They carry the responsibility of keeping the end-in-mind at the forefront of people’s thoughts and conversations, underscoring even routine activity with the reality that the work done today will result in long-term benefit. Leaders will reap what they sow. As it is with the space program, today’s precise calculations and persistent attention will result in the desired destination. Leaders must pay attention to the details.
Lead well.