Get a Direction instead of a Plan

Current wisdom has it that you need a plan to succeed. I would challenge that assessment. What is a plan? A plan is an attempt to mold the future from today's knowledge. But everyday our knowledge grows, the future changes. Quickly, updating the plan so it is current, can become more time consuming than actually living the plan.

I would argue that you should have a Direction, not a plan. A direction is a set of goals defined in time. A direction is reviewed daily so it remains fresh in your mind. Big organizations would have many directions for different departments, employees, and so on.

Each day each person makes sure they perform some tasks necessary to move in the right direction. They do this by listing items that make sense based on the world that day. Then try to complete them as rapidly as possible. This avoids excessive planning only to find out base assumptions are not true and years of man-hours needs to be scrapped.

The problem with plans is they become ridged. The plan needs to be followed even when people are starting to realize that it does not make sense. Direction is a guidepost. Direction is like a road sign that points the way. You think carefully when you decide your direction but you trust that the steps will become clear as you proceed.

Direction requires trust. It requires trust that everyone can perform at a level requiring thought. It requires trust that people generally find the way on their own. It requires trust that everyone has basic creativity. Direction is the highest form of delegation to the lowest level. Now the people doing the work and determining the steps in real time.

Try using Direction is place of your ridged plan. You will be pleasantly surprised.