Welcome to OutsmartChaos, the newsletter. We’re glad you’re here. In this newsletter, you will find:
Elevated Importance
The Illusion of Control
What is Real
Closing Thoughts
Self-Reflection Questions
Elevated Importance
A few words elevate a conversation artificially in the business world. We cringe when we hear them, knowing there’s only a chance they will be of value.
Strategy.
Vision.
Plan.
Each word is intended to suggest clarity and confidence but often communicates precisely the opposite.
Having “strategic” conversations too often means that the conversation is needed at a title or role level that doesn’t deeply understand the day-to-day problem.
A vision is often something that an individual leader has instead of something that the organization shares.
A plan is the only way from point A to point B.
And we fail. Over and over again, because strategy doesn’t include objectives, the vision is not shared, and the plan is seen as concrete.
Let’s break some concrete.
The Illusion of Control
When faced with uncertainty, we crave confidence. Any confidence level, even misplaced confidence, is often seen as control over the future.
This control of uncertainty allows us to understand and align to the steps forward. It lets us release our worry, anxiety, and stress, knowing that a plan is in place and our next steps are known.
We hold fast to the plan, because it is what we know. When the environment changes, we struggle to adapt.
We think:
The plan cannot be altered. We must maintain the plan. The plan is what will save us.
But that’s not the reality.
What is real
We know in life, career, and relationships that very few things go according to plan. The plan is not for reality. The plan is for planning.
What is real is uncertainty. Change. Unrealized Expectations.
And it breaks us.
So if the plan is not what’s saving us, and the only certainty is uncertainty…what is a plan for?
Strangely enough, a plan is for flexibility.
The plan allows you to develop confidence in understanding that there will be transitions. There will be risk. There will be unrealized expectations.
A plan is to choreograph a baseline… a discipline in key elements of success so that you can adapt.
Like the best sports teams, understanding the plan allows you the freedom to deviate in ways that still honor the intent.
It allows you to focus on the outcome, not the steps.
“No matter what the work you are doing, be always ready to drop it. And plan it, so as to be able to leave it” - Leo Tolstoy
Closing Thought
Plans are not salvation. They are helpful but not written in concrete.
The discipline of planning is critical, the plan, not so much.
The only guarantee is change…which will require you to adapt.
When faced with adaptation, a plan helps you understand how you approached your outcome.
Hold fast to the outcome, not the plan.
Self Reflection Questions
Where am I rigid in my plans, and how has that affected me?
What does flexibility in planning look like to me? What is my initial reaction to hearing this question?
How do I respond to change? How should I?
Who do I see excel in planning? What elements do I most appreciate about how they respond to plans?
What one area, if I focused on this week, could I make the most impact towards planning for outcomes, not having the outcome of a failed plan?
At Outsmart Chaos, we believe that in the Face of Chaos, Confident Courage lights the Path to Opportunity. We’re dedicated to helping you find your way to the most significant opportunities in your life, career, and leadership.
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Plan and be ready to be flexible!