As a
leader we are expected to be decisive and to advance toward the
envisioned goals.
So
why do we find ourselves making excuses to postpone a meeting or
delay an action? We sometimes rationalize deferring a task by
convincing ourselves it would be better done later – based on
perceived factors not directly related to achieving goals.
For
example, we are introduced to a person Friday afternoon who will
provide referrals of people who are prospective clients for our
services. We suggest a follow-up meeting for mid-week, but know from
experience that many people leave Monday morning open. Why not
suggest getting together first thing on Monday and have 4 ½ days to
use for prospecting instead of just 2 ½ days from a mid-week
appointment?
As a
CEO, my sales team spent considerable effort to persuade me against
submitting a proposal for a project because the client was too tiny
and the local organizations probably had a lock on the project. No
sale - we submitted the proposal and won the project. The team was
presupposing
conditions that did not prove out.
In
the War
of Art, author Pressfield identifies how individuals create
internal roadblocks to taking positive action to meet goals and
offers advice about overcoming these barriers. The section on
Resistance and Rationalization speaks to the seemingly rational
argument for deferring action based on a presumed view of
circumstances, as illustrated above. He suggests breaking the spell
by relying on facts instead of opinions and suppositions about a
situation.
Parkinson
said Work expands so as to fill the time available for its
completion – strong support
for building momentum and keeping it. Does going off track really
provide anything positive – or simply grind down the velocity of
the forward progress. Seems like the latter to me – additional
time does not translate to productive time.
As
a leader we are aware that the stakeholders are observing us to learn
about the real culture of the organization. It is better to take
action now rather than later - when possible, and to plan outcomes
based on facts instead of presumptions.
Do
it now. Finish it promptly. Ship often. Ignore Surface
Thinkers.
Keep
the conversation going – What are your thoughts?
4 comments:
“I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” Mark Twain
I learned early in sales that I was not a mind reader. Sometimes I had to stop sales people I was paired with when they started apologizing, in front of the customer, for all the things our product was not. I had learned that most of the time potential customers didn't care about what it wasn't. They already knew that. They needed to know if it would work in their environment, which it usually would.
Dick:
Mark Twain was a brilliant social scientist.
His comment is exactly what Quit Presupposing is about.
Thanks.
Carol:
Your personal experience shows how bright people can sabotage their own efforts.
Imagine a used car sales person who points out the flaws instead of the features of the clunkers on the lot.
Too many people do not focus on how they are their own most effective competition by making up 'facts' instead of separating what they know from what they do not know.
Thanks for your comment.
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