Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about plans. I once had a client who was absolutely obsessed with my plan.

When will it be done?

What’s in it?

When will it start?

The frustrating part wasn’t their desire to know what’s happening. I appreciate that completely.

It was the obsession with an artifact, like it was the guarantee for success.

“Thanks goodness! Gather ‘round, we have the plan. All we have to do now is follow this plan and we will succeed!”

{while I’m thinking “I hate to break it to you but there are no guarantees”}

Can you feel my pain?

If you’ve spent any amount of time developing, crafting, creating, maintaining, and executing plans, you know how futile it can feel.

Yes there’s an old adage – fail to plan, plan to fail… which I can’t stand, by the way.

There’s a reality we have to understand and accept… as soon as the plan is “finished,” something changes. An assumption. An objective. A colour choice. A starting line. A goal post. A date.

Regardless of whether it’s a project at work, a home renovation, a road trip, or finding something at the grocery store, we have to change our plans because something else, often outside of our control, has changed.

With this in mind, the ability to execute is actually more about our ability to change than about our ability to plan.

… our ability to adjust, to pivot, to course correct, and to be flexible. And keep our wits about us, because it’s not easy.

Does this mean we shouldn’t bother planning at all?

Of course not.

In fact, there’s a crucial piece of planning that we don’t want to skip — deciding and stating where we’re trying to get to.

Destination is key.

As is mobilizing around when you want (or need) to get there.

Then… plan how to get there, what we’ll do to get there, and who we need to help us get there.

Then, we start.

As long as you can handle the uncertainty and the dynamics of decisions and choices, by being flexible and able to respond and move on, you’ll be good.

As boxer Mike Tyson famously said… “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

In my experience, being able to adapt, to react to those “punches,” is what’s most important.

Being able to “change” is often the most important skill in getting things done.

I hope this is helpful, especially to those of you who don’t really like the planning part. Like me.

Have a great day!