How to Stop Drifting and Find Focus
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Life is a journey but you’re drifting unless you define your destination. The same is true for organizations. The first step toward success is defining it.
Too eager to do:
Activity seduces. Leaders easily fall into the “Let’s just go do something” trap. Activity without destination is futility.
Eager to do:
The choice between sleeping horses and running horses is easy. Choose running horses. Foot draggers may safely arrive, eventually. Impatient racehorses aren’t safe but in our turbulent world, impatience keeps you in the race.
The ultimate destination:
The ultimate destination is who not what. Before you do, ask who; ask who you want to become. The same goes for organizations. Who we want to become always precedes and guides what we want to do.
Impatient leaders say let’s do something. Wise leaders say, “Let’s become something.”
Warren Bennis put it this way, “Leadership is synonymous with becoming yourself.”
When you don’t know where:
Crystal balls exist in fairytales. In other words, you can’t determine what to do by looking into next year, next week, or tomorrow. Future circumstances can’t guide you today. You can, however, determine who you want to become, regardless of tomorrow (both individually and organizationally).
Decision making:
Some think decisions determine destinations but that’s reactive not proactive living. Leaders navigate toward predetermined destinations. Compelling destinations determine today’s decisions. Application: once you determine who you want to become, you can decide what you want to do.
Bullets then cannon balls:
Once you define who you want to become, Jim Collins insightful suggestion applies. “Shoot bullets before cannon balls.” When the best course isn’t obvious, test the waters. Don’t waste your ammo. Learn enough to begin, and then let your impatient race horses run.
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I find these ideas both freeing and challenging.
Who do you want to be (individually or organizationally)?
What can you do to become it?
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Love the Bennis quote. Inauthentic leadership is an oxymoron. I have a recent blog post entitled “Don’t just do something, sit there” which discusses this also. It must be in the air.
Great minds think alike. 🙂
Agreed!
Another great post Dan. This is something I have been working on. I know where I want to be. And I have been taking small steps to get me there. I think it may be time to take massive action and fire those cannon balls
Anton,
The scariest moment is just before you light the fuse. 🙂 Need a match?
You have my best,
Dan
I remember asking my Dad about careers and college and he asked me, “What kind of old man do you want to be?”
There’s an interesting tension here between who we want to become, as people and organizations, and who we are being in the moment or in the near term. Too strong a focus on becoming can lead us to miss a lot of today’s joy as we gaze longingly into the future.
Maybe there’s a “Be and Become” solution where we can celebrate who we are as we work towards who we want to be.
Either way, I agree that the who question is much more compelling than what and where. For one thing, if you get the who right, the what and where can vary without really changing the outcome.
I’m with you there Greg, we need to enjoy the days as they develop, I wonder if the disspaointment that some feel when reaching thier goal is they made it such a chore to get there?
Greg,
Thanks for pointing out the tension between Now and Then or Near and Far. It’s important to this conversation.
Every now activity can be infused with meaning by something in the distance.
Could we say take short term actions while keeping the long term in view?
Best,
Dan
Greg, your Dad’s question is terrific. It is so rich in depth. I am currently preparing a 45-minute webinar for our program at Tulane discussing my view of the future of the safety and industrial hygiene occupations over the next five years or so.
If you do not mind, your Dad has just given me through you the title of my talk – “What kind of old safety and health pro do you want to be?” Thanks…Jim
Dan,
I’m currently writing my second book for teachers. Do you realize how many ‘leadership’ thoughts also apply to preparing students to become successful and caring adults?
We are in the same ‘business’.
We first have to focus on whom our students will become. What are their values, their work ethic, their ability to persevere in times of great challenge. We simultaneously build their skills. The wonderful things they will accomplish then will follow.
It’s not about memorizing answers to test questions. It’s about building great people who will accomplish amazing things in their world.
Dauna Easley
Dauna –
Ditto! I am a college professor and I see cross-over daily in everything I am trying to do as I “lead” my students.
Dan –
Great post as always!!! Thank you.
I’ve always wanted my wife to write a book about life’s lessons from the playground. She spent years as a para-professional, and she often amazes me with insights she has into inter-personal issues I have at work that she developed from watching and working with middle-schoolers. I think schools offer the unique combination of groups of peers trying to sort out their relationship, with trained, objective observers, and some elements of a process-oriented business. There’s a lot there to learn from.
Hi Dauna,
It’s exciting when crossover happens. I have a secret passion that all of us … teachers, moms, dads, students begin seeing ourselves through the lens of become leaders.
Best,
Dan
I’m with Greg and Croadie this morning. There is an important tension between being and becoming, and in our world of oughts and shoulds and have-tos we can lose sight of the fact that the only thing we have is right now.
Figuring out how to make the most of the present moment while holding on to our identity and purpose is where we are most alive.
Thanks for the invigoration this morning! (Is that even a word?)
M
Michael,
Thanks for your comment. In regards to grammar or spelling, I’m deferring to others. 🙂
Thank you for an encouraging word.
Success to you,
Dan
Dear Dan,
Good thought-provoking thoughts as shared in today’s post. You have hit the bull’s eye by stating: ‘Leaders navigate toward predetermined destinations. Compelling destinations determine today’s decisions.’ Just superb! All progressive firms are usually led by genius leaders who define the organization vision and drive the employees towards its achievement.
At an individual level, one is guided by the personal/
professional ambition and the planned moves are naturally followed to make it happen.
Dan,
Awesome post. I am going to use this framework for my prioritizing my career choices when I get out of my MBA program. I love the section on leading via “bullets then canon balls”. Nice iterative strategy for true leaders.
Dan, I really appreciate this post! We are so much rushing in our everyday lives to get things done that we often forget our aim and goals. Especially in the corporate world, this is of utmost importance if we really mean to take the responsibility we have wrt the world we live in.
Great food for thought!
Great post Dan! As Dr. Deming says a system without an aim is not a system. Being eager, proactive and having the go and do mindset is great, we all need ambition. If there is no aim and strategy to help navigate your efforts you are essentially going nowhere fast. Find your purpose, create a strategy to achieve that purpose, then go after it. PDSA (Plan.Do.Study. Act)
James
Dear Dan,
Honestly speaking I was never aware about my destination. But I was aware to become different from mass. Different in terms of my achievement, impact and challenging common belief; I had and still march ahead for better recognition and prestige. I kept on focusing on new destination through my experience and learning. And more I moved ahead, bigger goal I created. I have perhaps the biggest goal in my life and enjoying moving towards my goal. Most of the times, I do not have resources and still do not have, but my passion and hope propels me to do my effort. I do not know, how will I achieve my goal, but I am hopeful that I will achieve it.
I put more and harder effort to achieve my goal. The more I work hard, more I envision my goal. For me, my determination, passion and belief are the strong weapons. I always believe that rest will automatically come in your way when you strengthen your will power with right intention.
Thanks Dan! I’m new to your blog, but I have gained encouragement and great valuable insights both spiritually and practically from the business side of leadership. I have challenged myself as of late to “finish what I started” and live an uncluttered life- thanks for adding to my own heart with this word!
Once you choose …..it becomes essential to understand the difference between the urgent and the important and then taking pro-active steps rather than the re-active steps..That is the difference between manifesting success and staying sooooo….busy….Make a long list, then prioritize the top 3 of the most important tasks. Now put the remaining list in a file….mostly to be forgotten….
Now stop talking, texting and tweeting to everyone about everything and start doing your 3 most important things…..
Another great read! What really stood out to me was focus on who you want to become. While a goal is nice to achieve, what really makes it worthwhile is the type of person you have to become to achieve it!
Love the idea of leadership being about “becoming” something, not doing something. I also love the bullets before cannonballs notion – I wrote an early blog post on it last year. Maybe you’ll like it…:)http://stratecutionstories.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/bullets-vs-cannonballs/
Another rich vein to mine today Dan, thanks for starting the digging and all who have pitched in.
Really appreciate that the tense of words has come up. Who you want to be, what direction (not destination) you want to be headed. Not dwelling in where you have been, other than to learn periodically from it.
I do agree leaders journey toward predetermined destinations and make course corrections along the way. The adventure is in the journey as long as it aligns with becoming.
‘Tomorrow’s just your future yesterday’-Craig Ferguson
I have more questions than answers about this topic. I do think one of the keys to figuring out what you want to be and what you can do to become it involves confidence to take a first step. I was discussing this topic today with a friend after we heard John Venable (www.tbirdone.com). In short, he discussed how he persevered toward the dream he had held since he was 4 years old of leading the USAF Thunderbirds — even though he had to convince the medical board not to put him on medical reitrement after a bout with thyroid cancer — by having a “beacon” of a dream. My friend talked about an opportunity she may be interested in pursuing. I suggested that even if she was not going to change jobs to do that, she could have lunch with the organization’s owner/entrepreneur as an informational interview – something to keep the light from that beacon visible.
And anyone who has read my comments on the LF blog knows that if it came right down to it, when asked what I want to be, it always comes down to parenting first and everything else second. That has cost me professionally, but hopefully the ROI on parenting lasts into the next generation.
Paula,
Awesome comment Paula.
The leaders job is more than pointing the way….it’s instilling confidence as well.
Thank you.
I recall a quote from Mr. Jack Miller, owner/founder of the mail order office supply company, Quill Corporation (now part of Staples). We were at our weekly sales meeting and one of the people around the table mentioned something about getting “burned out”. Jack turned to him and said, “It seems to me that before you can get burned out you first have to be lit!”
I dunno if he was the first to use that quip, but he’s the one I remember having said it… and I’ve remembered it since. Somehow it seems apropo to your post. Ignite your inspiration… focus your attention… deliver your results.
I’m someone you might define as impatient. But over the last 3 years of searching, part of “who I am” is someone who is able to act, ready to act, (maybe even too) quick to act. I appreciate stories of action and I want to be known as an action figure. I tell people that I like to screw up in gear. I don’t want my mistakes to be those of failing to act. I wrote a couple of posts a while back when a friend described me as being at war with apathy.
Some people become something by thinking first. But some act first. The process for me is more, Act, Evaluate, Revise, Act. For others it may be Evaluate, Revise, Act, Evaluate. Same process, same results. Focus on one and you risk becomming someone who never accomplished much.
Thanks for the great post.
Dan, your post earlier this week inspired me. I hope you don’t mind that a referenced you in my post today about striving to be more focused. Would love your feedback if you have time and inclination!
http://holeyheart.com/2012/02/16/finding-my-focus/
Thanks for all your tidbits each day. I find them very helpful and concrete.
Reblogged this on Haydee Acebo's Blog.
Bullets then cannonballs
My work includes handling ambiguity and success is rarely determined in tangible, objective, and discrete terms. Often, clients know what they want but don’t have enough information to state clear objectives. For example, a client might want a training program but they are unsure how to test capabilities or how/how much employees should be improving. While I don’t work in software, I found that using parts of the Agile methodology has been extremely helpful in finding the intended outcomes in unclear projects. This balances my racehorse qualities but also helps the team fail fast and fix issues before wasting time or resources on a product. I help the team create prototypes with objectives and work with clients to determine “what good looks like,” or what they truly want the final product to do. The bullets then cannonballs approach helps me guide my team by quickly creating something lightweight. If it misses the target, we try again. When the bullet hits the target, we can easily build up the product into the cannonball – the full product – because know we know where the bullseye is.