Don't let current resources dictate your strategy. Many leaders look at what they have and ask, 'What can we build?' A better approach is to decide on the ultimate goal first ('What do I want to eat?') and then work backward to acquire the specific resources needed to achieve it, shifting from a reactive to a proactive mindset.
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Traditional business planning fails because it focuses on intellectual exercises like metrics and behaviors. A more powerful approach grounds the plan in purpose-driven questions about service and mission, providing stronger motivation than numbers alone.
Ambitious leaders are often "time optimists," underestimating constraints. This leads to frustration. The 'realistic optimist' framework resolves this tension by holding two ideas at once: an optimistic, forward-looking vision for the future, and a realistic, grounded assessment of present-day constraints like time and resources. Your vision guides you, while reality grounds your plan.
Leaders often feel pressured to act, creating 'motion' simply to feel productive. True 'momentum,' however, is built by first stepping back to identify the *right* first step. This ensures energy is directed towards focused progress on core challenges, not just scattered activity.
If a team is constantly struggling with prioritization, the root cause isn't poor task management; it's the absence of a clear, unifying strategy. A strong, insight-based strategy makes prioritization implicit, naturally aligning the organization and reducing distractions.
Being too rigid about *how* a goal is achieved causes leaders to act from a place of fear or scarcity. By staying fixed on the desired outcome but remaining flexible on the path to get there, you can avoid this reactive behavior and remain open to better possibilities.
Canva CEO Melanie Perkins plans using "Column B" thinking: envision a perfect, magical future state without constraints, then work backward to build a ladder of small, actionable steps to get there. This contrasts with "Column A" thinking, which starts with current resources and limits vision.
A common leadership trap is feeling the need to be the smartest person with all the answers. The more leveraged skill is ensuring the organization focuses on solving the right problem. As Einstein noted, defining the question correctly is the majority of the work toward the solution.
Don't start with a business idea and force your life to conform. Instead, define how you want to spend your days—your desired lifestyle. Then, operate within that box to find a business model that achieves your financial and impact goals. This ensures long-term alignment and fulfillment.
The most valuable professionals are neither pure visionaries nor pure executioners; they are "step builders." This means they can understand a high-level strategic vision and then map out the granular, sequential steps required to achieve it. This skill is critical for turning ambitious goals into reality.
