“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”
~John Lennon

Whenever we facilitate a leadership team planning meeting, we offer a quote:

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.

We believe – we know – that it is essential to plan where you’re going and where you want to get to, both as a leadership team and as an individual. However, we also know that many people, and teams, spend so much time making plans, and making plans again, that they miss what’s happening in the moment. They inadvertently pass up opportunities and unintentionally ignore the proverbial writing on the wall.

Because they’re planning.

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, and while it’s important to plan, it’s equally important to pay attention to what’s going on right now, and to (as we often write) not miss the possibilities that show up at your doorstep or the joys to delight in right in front of you.

Many things about effective Thoughtful leadership are a balance. Learning from the past and focusing on the future. Taking care of the people and also the tasks. Being kind and also holding people accountable. Being forceful and also gentle.

The list goes on, and critical in that list is balancing planning and doing. Thinking strategically and executing in the now.

Life is what happens while you are busy making plans. Learn to focus both on what is happening in this moment and what you need to do to get you to your ultimate goal, and you’ll learn to walk that balance of leadership.

How do you balance planning and responding?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


For support in the leadership balance, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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