As most of you know, I am a fervent believer in and professional practitioner of planning. And yet, one of the paradoxes of managing complex organizations (not to mention life in general) is that changing conditions will always compete with our best laid plans. Change is ever with us. For leaders, here are a few lessons regarding this reality of constantly changing conditions.

Food for Thought ~

Lesson # 1: When changed conditions become significant, be prepared to change your expectations, as well as your goals and objectives. Holding on to old ideas, hopes, and plans will achieve neither the original intentions nor the emerging ones.

Lesson # 2: Timeliness is more important than perfection. Oftentimes, the window of opportunity is only temporarily open. Don’t miss it while pursuing perfection. Go with what you’ve got. (When excellence, not perfection, is your guiding standard, you will be prepared for quick action when needed.)

Lesson # 3: Hone your judgement. Good judgement is a leader’s most critical skill set. Having an internal guidance system, as well as a healthy check and balance decision-making system in the organization, will help you make those judgement calls.

Question for the day ~

How are you and your organization at responding to changed conditions? How can you avoid getting stalled by confusion, indecision or perfectionism?

Mary