I’m hearing from CEO’s and I’m hearing from senior leaders that one minute you are looking at 3 year plans and the next minute you are all hunting for a missing product in the supply chain. Or, you just finally hired an important new team player and a long time team member gives notice. It is like paddling too much on one side of the canoe and then furiously trying to get straight by paddling hard on the other side. It feels like we all have lost strategic focus. Tell me again, where are you trying to go?
Clearly, the pandemic and the ripples it created in supply chain, employment, profitability and therefore focus continue to demand that we be in the moment and super flexible. NO question that this is exhausting and frustrating. I’m sensing that people are losing sight of the big picture and making short term tactical decisions that don’t advance them to their long term goals.
It reminds me of a time I rented a sailboat on Big Bear Lake. I got caught up in making arrangements for the rental and getting everyone on board and didn’t spend much time looking at the waves, the wind direction or the currents. I turned the boat downwind with a really strong current and flew. How fun! Within 2-3 minutes of super fast sailing I saw the danger. I turned back, tacking left then right then left then right – fighting that “lovely” wind for almost 45 minutes to get back to my starting point. No one else on the boat knew how to sail so they were scared. I wasn’t afraid but I was really annoyed at myself for not doing a better assessment before I turned the boat downwind.
It only takes a few minutes of focus to prioritize what is most important and set your intentions before you jump into the day (or the week). For bonus points, assess how you did at the end of the day.
image courtesy of pathfinderastrid.blogspot.com