46. Why are you Chasing it ?

Creative people must be open to new ideas.

Chasing a new objective can be exciting for the leader but also damaging or even harmful for their team…

A leader’s job is to keep the team on track, by discerning what to chase and what to ignore.

Often by not chasing the latest shiny objects.

Distraction is a hidden enemy. Not just because of time lost resetting plans but because of how frequent changes are perceived by team members.

Being easily distracted is a telltale sign of commitment.

The balance you find as a leader between sticking to your plan and reacting to new things is a defining part of your relationship with your team.

It can take courage to stick to an objective through setbacks and failures.

Some leaders spend limited time creating their ideas but do so frequently. Objectives are quickly set but frequently changed.

The value of each new exciting idea may be equal for the leader but is less for the team – simply because it is so easily discarded.

Lower value objectives get less investment by the team.

Creativity and discipline are partners. Opposite sides of the same coin.

The more disciplined leader puts greater value to each objective by investing more of their own time (and courage) into them.

Unconsciously, their team will engage more in those objectives and so increase the chances of success.

Good leaders know when to stop creating new ideas and get on with the boring work of finishing the job. They also know when to resist the temptation to change plans.

“The balance between sticking to your plan and reacting to new things is a defining part of your relationship with your team…”

When you lean towards the more disciplined approach and avoid frequent changes in direction, you not only reduce stress and inefficiency as the team readjusts, but the team gets the added value of learning what works and what doesn’t.

Changing direction to avoid defeat is of course sensible, but small defeats build knowledge and resilience also.

One good test before changing directions is to reflect on how you feel about the new objective. Are you excited, or challenged?

If just excited be careful.

Boredom is a real issue and shouldn’t be the reason for changing objectives. Was your old objective wrong? Or are you just tired of it?

Do you see changes in direction as a positive new opportunity or acknowledgment of defeat?

Do you consider the disappointment felt by your team when objectives are changed?

You will always rationalize to yourself that the change was justified, so convincing yourself isn’t the best test. The better question is, can you convince your team?

When you experience resistance, do you reflect on why? Could it be that your team isn’t convinced that you’re committed?

Be careful when you chase a new target, there may be hidden costs

When your objectives lose credibility so do you.