Directionally Right
I was in a strategy class a couple of days ago.
We were talking about how every strategic goal is built on a pile of assumptions.
We never have complete information about the future. And the further out the goal — the more people, variables, and complexity involved — the less we can expect to hit a specific outcome, on a specific timeline, following a specific plan.
A friend of mine, an entrepreneur, shared what he learned the hard way, through all the entrepreneurship ups and downs. What worked and stuck: one overarching vision, and then 6-month execution sprints. Even then, he said, all you can really hope for is to be directionally right and somewhere close to the original timeline.
I noticed the same thing with clients, who always have complex goals - navigating the next chapter of their career transition, figuring out meaning of life or some health challenge.
The ones who get results are the ones who know what they’re after, and are willing to work on it as long as it takes - making progress, staying the course, adjusting as they go.
The ones who need it yesterday either don’t make it frustrated with the amount of work needed (that they, as we humans do, underestimate). Or, they get it but unable to keep it because the fundamental skills weren’t built.
The new behavior never had time to take root in their identity and life.
Two things worth understanding, that I learned in life and coaching — if you want to stop stressing every time you miss a milestone or a deadline in the complexity of our lives or business:
1. Goals are your compass, not a bullseye.
Getting closer counts. Progress counts.
The timeline you wrote down in January?
That was always a guess. A good guess, maybe, but a guess. What matters is the direction of travel. Directionally right is all what we can shoot for.
2. When you don’t have a solution you’re certain of, your job is to find one — not force one.
Block out time to explore. Design small tests. Measure what works in the real world, not the one in your head. The best strategies aren’t revealed in planning sessions. They’re refined through contact with reality.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" ~ Mike Tyson
Whether you’re building a company, launching a product, losing weight, or trying to change something fundamental about how you live:
Set a target you can measure your actions against. - That number on the scale, sales, the kind of work you want to do more of, the kind of leader you want to grow into.
Build a strategy and a plan to test it. - Block out time with the intention to learn, not to “earn”, to figure out what can be right, not to force what you want to be right.
Check in. Reflect. Adjust. - Flexible in how you end up doing things, firm on where you are headed.
The best strategy can come out of a great offsite or a thoughtful planning session.
But the best results always come from staying aligned with how the world is in the moments of taking action.
Over to you, dear reader,
Are you holding your goals as a compass, or as a verdict of your success?