Once we have looked for the ten types of opportunity that might exist in any situation, our next task is to choose between the options we have found.
Peter Drucker had very clear views about the best way to do this. He was a hugely influential management consultant and author whose thinking shaped the modern corporation.
He said:
“Doing the right thing is more important than doing the thing right.”
In other words, effectiveness matters more than efficiency: it is better to choose a difficult path towards the outcomes we really want than an easy path towards the wrong results. It is better to move slowly in the right direction than quickly in the wrong one. It is better to do the right things imperfectly than the wrong things well.
This probably seems obvious to you now. But how many times do we go along with what’s easy rather than standing up for what’s right? How many times do we allow things to slide instead of addressing a situation? And how often does that then lead us to a worse situation, wishing “If only we’d acted sooner”?
Sailing brings a useful metaphor. If the wind is blowing towards where you want to go then your decision is easy: you sail with the wind. But when the wind is blowing against you then you have a choice. Either you give up your goal and sail to wherever the wind happens to be blowing today. Or you tack and jibe across the wind to get to where you want to go. Progress is slower and you seem to be heading in the wrong direction. But in fact you are still moving towards your chosen destination, slightly more slowly, in the weather you have today. And tomorrow or next week the weather will be different.
Success in a time of change is partly about connecting strongly with what matters most to you and who you are at your best. It is partly about seeing the situation more clearly and finding more opportunities to move forward. And it is also about choosing the option that best takes you towards your most important goals, no matter which way the wind happens to be blowing today.
It is better to move slowly in the right direction than quickly in the wrong one.
Improving your ability to do so is another step towards becoming antifragile.
In your work, and in your personal life, are you deliberately moving towards the destination that matters most to you, no matter which way the wind is blowing today? Or are you blown around like a leaf in the wind?
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and a set of tools for building inspiration in a time of change.
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(And remember: you can’t learn to swim just by reading about swimming, you also have to do the practice.)
Photo By Dale Simonson via StockPholio.net
