15. Staying on Course..

Finally we get to the Hare and the Tortoise. Aesop’s fable about the slow old Tortoise who wins a race against the speedy but arrogant Hare. The moral is that “the race is not always to the swift..” – which is complete rubbish of course, because slowness doesn’t win races.

The Leadership lesson here is not that slowness wins races but that distraction loses them.

There’s probably no more common cause of failure in business or organizations, or even individuals, than failure to stay the course.

It’s remarkable how much effort and cost can be put into “Plans” and “Objective setting”, only to have them discarded and lost in the real world. It’s also remarkable how few organizations include “staying the course” in their stated Values.

The reason, of course, is not complicated. Whilst objectives and targets are often sanctified, especially aggressive ones, the behaviors required to achieve them are not.

There is a perception in the leadership industry that great leaders set directions, and aren’t held back by the past. Fair enough. If this desire to make change is applied to the very objectives already set however, it becomes Distraction.

A key leadership task is to manage Distraction. To find a Balance.

There are 2 common causes of Distraction, and 2 cures:

1. Hubris

This Greek word means excessive pride and self confidence which leads to a downfall. Self confidence is important to overcome barriers, but it can make the answers too clear, and too simple.

When you know the outcome, the process of getting there becomes boring. If you’re a Hare you fall asleep. Giving up isn’t the problem. The problem is not contemplating a different result from the one you’ve decided will happen.

The Balance to Hubris is Humility. “Servant Leadership” doesn’t succeed because humble leaders are nice people, it works because they contemplate failure more than arrogant ones, and therefore take action to prevent it.

2. Vision

Or lack of it. Lack of Vision is different from arrogance but the combination of the two can be deadly. Not being sure where you’re going makes changing the target easy and being sure of yourself makes it even easier.

Few leaders will say they don’t know where to go or what to do. The reason is that those who do don’t last long.

A good leader sets objectives that they can clearly see in their own mind. Whether they can see every step along the way doesn’t matter, the outcome is clear.

Poor leaders set objectives for other reasons. Sometimes in the hope that a solution will come along, sometimes to maintain their position as a leader. It can be difficult to tell if a set of objectives is real or imaginary when they are set, but one tell-tale sign is that they are changed frequently.

The Balance to Lack of Vision is found in every leadership textbook. Think through what you’re trying to achieve, write it down in simple terms. Test it out with peers and team members. Make it small if big is too scary. Make it part of your plan.

If you can’t explain it you probably haven’t got it.

Don’t pretend you have something you don’t. Seek help. At least don’t continue to inflict changes of direction on your teams because of it.

“Whilst objectives and targets are often sanctified, especially aggressive ones, the behaviors required to achieve them are not…”

Resisting Distraction is a Cultural trait of leaders and organizations. It doesn’t come naturally in most cultures so an important part of a leader’s role is to establish Routines as a part of their leadership style.

If you’re a single operator, like the Hare, you can change your direction as fast as you can change your mind. If you’re a leader in an Organization, changing directions is much slower, so needs to be done with more care.

Do you have a strong Vision of where you want to be in a year, 5 years?

Have you enabled your team to share that vision?

Do you see change of direction as a heroic choice, or a problem to be managed carefully?

Setting Objectives is a leader’s job, so too is Staying on Track. The Leader’s role is to find the right balance between Routines and Distraction.

Image credits: Fablesofaesop.com