Choosing the best way forward, no matter which way the wind is blowing

Once we have used the ten types of opportunities to find ourselves new options for moving forward, our next task is to choose between them.

Peter Drucker had very a clear view about the best way to do this.

Drucker was an author and consultant whose thinking was so influential that it shaped the modern corporation. He said:

“Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.”

In other words, it is better to choose a difficult path towards the outcomes you want than an easy path to the wrong results — better to move slowly in the right direction than quickly in the wrong one, better to do the right things imperfectly than the wrong things well.

Reading this now that might seem obvious. But how many times have you gone along with what seemed easy rather than doing the difficult work of standing up for what is important? How many times have you allowed a situation to slip and then found it getting worse and worse?

Sailing brings a useful metaphor.

If the winds around you are blowing in the direction you want to travel then your decision becomes easy: you sail downwind. But when the wind is against you, you don’t just…