This morning Mike Sansone posted a quick note on Perfection.
Do you struggle with wanting everything to be “just so” before you get started? Are you looking for a sure fired guarantee that you will see the results you want so you can take that first step to get into action?
Are you a planner? I am.
I have been through long years of training and an even longer career where working out the details, preparing contingencies, covering my bases, and yes, even getting my ducks in a row.
Are you more comfortable working out the details than pulling the trigger?
Well Mike gives us a great reminder this morning. Ducks move. They are living things that don’t necessarily understand or care that we want them to line up in just the right way.
But Mike goes one step further and really drives the point home.
The only sure-fire way to get your ducks aligned perfectly is to kill ‘em – but then what do you have left? Dead Ducks. That wouldn’t be good.
Ooch!
A roundhouse punch of truth that leaves us perfectionists staggering!
Yes there is a place for planning. It is tremendously valuable. Yes! And Yes again!
But.
There comes a time when we must move. Plans are meaningless without implimentation. They are completely wasted.
And here is the kicker. Once we get into motion our plans will need to change anyway to adapt to the changing circumstances.
Back when I was in the military we were taught von Moltke’s maxim early on.
No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.
Once we get into motion things will change. Motion is movement and it is rarely predictable. Ducks move.
The key is to keep from becoming infatuated with our plans. Think of them more as guidelines than actual rules. Allow yourself to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
That is a radical and liberating concept for us perfectionists.
And it is freeing for people on the other side of the coin too. Are you the kind of person who doesn’t plan at all because you want to leave your options open?
If you are, please understand that plans can change. It is allowed. I looked it up.
By planning just a little it will greatly reduce your own stress. And it will likely reduce the conflict in your organization because the rest of the folks will have a better understanding of what you are trying to achieve. Some of us work a whole lot better when we can see a glimpse of what our desired destination looks like.
And if you are a perfectionist, you better get in motion or you’ll be stuck with dead ducks!
Thanks for the trakcback, Kent. Boy you sure do make it challenging to comment over there. First I had to register, then my comment was moderated. Whew! Good thing I’m stubborn.
Chris,
When you were in the military did they teach you Boyd’s OODA and PISRR concepts? I think it cleanly orients the need to balance between planning and acting.
Mike
If the Navy did teach me that stuff Mike, they either called it something else (probably with a big long acronym, though
) or I slept through that course.
That’s not to say that I’m not effective at both planning and acting decisively. The vast majority of my working career has been in operations. And I’m good at it.
But in my case there is a difference between knowing it (and even doing it well) and actually liking balancing the planning with the action.
For me, there are times when I’d rather focus my efforts aligning the ducks than pulling the trigger. Duck alignment feels easier, less risky.
It’s not. But it sure does feel that way sometimes.
Chris,
I was guessing they didn’t, but thought I’d ask. I agree with you on the difference between knowing and liking. Most of my career has been in consulting, where the keys to success were more often acting and reacting leading up to planning for someone else’s implementation. In those situations “analysis paralysis” seems the bigger risk to me.
Cheers, and I look forward to the biz blogging 101 series!
Mike
The other thing is that most of my Navy training is fast approaching 20 years ago. (Can I be that old? Ugh! My knees say, “Yes!”) So if those concepts you are talking about are newer than that I wouldn’t have gotten them anyway.
20 years ago Boyd was still teaching his stuff as a 15-hour presentation using transparencies (not exactly what you’d call accessible). And those years do sneak past us in a hurry!
15 hours with transparencies. Sounds a lot like how I remember most of the Navy training I had! I think that’s one of the reasons I’m such a heavy coffee drinker to this day.