Achievement always fulfills some desires, and precludes others.
This collision is a growing concern among leaders.
The concern begins with a gnawing anxiety about what may happen.
Both good and bad come with achievement. When the bad outweighs the good, reality sets in and dissatisfaction shows up.
What’s a leader to do so achievement and desire do not collide?
Leaders can relate to this collusion between achievement and desire.
Achievement always leads to something, lots of things usually. Some are good, others are not so good.
Achievement is like a family vacation.
You got away from the office, but your mother-in-law came along.
You got to read some, but not enough because a dreaded cousin and her best (and obnoxious) friend visited for three days, uninvited.
You had fun with the kids, but you had to entertain them too much.
The food was great, but the weather wasn’t.
You got to do some things you wanted to do, but spent too much time pleasing others.
It was good to “get away,” but you had to settle too many arguments.
Nobody got sick or hurt, but you were bombarded with emails from the office with questions to answer, problems to solve, and decisions to make.
You were able to decompress, but then it was time to come home.
So how is achievement like a vacation?
First, you know on the front end what will please you, and what won’t.
Second, you can anticipate what could happen, and take action to insure much of the good, and prevent much of the bad.
Third, you can see how much good is likely to happen, and how much bad, and which way the scales will tip.
Fourth, you can make better decisions, if you anticipate and avoid unpleasant surprises.
In other words, look before you leap, so achievement and desire don’t collide.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
