Yesterday my post focused on vision and execution.  This prompted an interesting discussion with some colleagues  about executing against the vision.  What is the best path to your vision?

Assessing the options

Once you know the direction you are heading, i.e., the vision, consider how this tranlates into objectives.  Additionally , if desired, the objective can be further defined defined by specific goals .

Now comes the interesting part, that is planning the trip.  Most often there are several options.  Ultimately you want to select the approach that is most likely to succeed, but consistent with your personal values.

 Consider this analogy

Your vision is a lush green meadow with food aplenty, ameniable weather year round and isolated location ensuring the environmental peace is maintained.

Between your cuurent location and the vision is a large mountain on one side and a river with a bridge on the other.

Your objective is to journey to the meadow.  There are two options:

• Hike over the mountain trails first up, then down.  A strenuous journey to be sure, time consuming and possibly hazardous
• Cross the bridge, a short easy trip over the river, and you are there.

Your selection of the path to the object of your vision needs to take the sub-goals into account.  Do you desire to achieve maximum physical exercise?  Is the potential relaxation of the journey itself important and you want it to be prolonged?

Or is quick and easy the best approach, just achieve the objective as fast as possible.

Plan Wisely

Although the analogy is clearly exaggerated, the point is around the value of fully thinking through your  execution strategy as there will always be options and success most often lies with the approach that maps closest to your own goals.