“The best laid plans of mice and men will often go awry.” It’s not a true-to-original quote from the Robert Burns poem, but the sentiment is there. We all know that sometimes all the preparation in the world won’t keep you going down the road you thought you were on.
That was never more clear than last year. Many companies and their employees found themselves well off the beaten path. From career plans to retirement goals, it was all upended in just a few short months. Without some magical crystal ball, we can’t know what 2021 and beyond holds. We can be assured things will get better and, at some point, there will be more chaos.
Does that mean planning is basically meaningless? Have long term goals been rendered obsolete? Never! If anything, they’re more important than ever! Regardless of what is going on in the world at large, your end goals will always inform your next steps and the next steps for your employees.
Without keeping your eye on the end, it’s too easy to be led so far stray that you’ll never make it back. A quick fix or easier path may look inviting, but it’s not worth the risk. It takes a big picture view and the ability to keep your cool under pressure to prevent the road ahead from taking you sideways.
We recently spoke to a coach that was struggling to keep their team member from taking that sideways path. We’ll be protecting everyone’s anonymity here, but the coaching lesson will still hold true. Let’s call the coach Jim and the team member Amber.
Amber was a promising young lady that had just recently graduated with a degree in nutrition. As with most college students, the job she currently held was not really in her field of study. This company focused on researching genetics. Amber had landed a part time job there after standing out during a brief internship in her junior year.
Now that she had graduated, the company wanted to offer her a full time position. She was bright, polite, insightful, and eager to tackle anything. Jim had been told by his manager to offer her a place in his research department. Jim’s department had nothing to do with nutrition. He wasn’t sure if this was really what Amber wanted or, more importantly, needed.
The first thing we needed to do was hear from Amber. Was she proud of what she’d been able to accomplish while working at the company? Any disappointments or other concerns? And of course the critical question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
It turned out that Amber, like many people, wasn’t quite sure about that. She didn’t think she had a clear vision of where she wanted her career to take her. When she’d started her degree four years ago, she’d envisioned working for a school or nursing home. Putting her talents to work in a research setting, especially applying it to genetics, wasn’t even on her radar.
We encouraged her coach to dive deep and ask more questions to get some clarity from Amber. In forty years, what would she be able to look back on with pride? Did she think of working in a nursing home as her ideal job? Did she see where her skills and knowledge could fit into this company and its goals? Was this just a paycheck for her?
It was decided that she should take some time to really think about those questions. Taking a couple of weeks, Amber looked into the differences in these career paths. She was also connected with professionals in both geriatric nutrition and genetic research. They were happy to answer her questions and give her a realistic view of what was in front of her.
After weighing it all, Amber realized that her passions weren’t in genetic research. It wasn’t the news that Jim wanted to hear, but he knew that this was ultimately going to be the best path for everyone. If Amber had forced herself to stay in a position that wasn’t in line with where she saw herself going, eventually it would catch up to her. Employees who aren’t happy in their work ultimately end up either quitting or, even worse, staying and doing a lackluster job.
The good news is that this process meant Jim was prepared and was able to give Amber coaching that helped everyone. They planned her exit, including having her train someone to replace her. One day she’d be running her own department, but it wasn’t going to be in a research lab. It was a fairly clean and easy solution.
What made it so easy? In short, Amber figured out her end goal.
Her big picture included helping others through efforts that would improve their overall quality of life and lead her own department. Through careful questioning, guidance, and research, the path became clear for her. She started her search with the end in mind, which is exactly what Stephen Covey recommended.
The reason most plans go awry is they lack that clarity. A manager can leverage coaching to save time and hassle for both the company and their team members.
To keep your plans (personal or the company’s) from going sideways, you’ve got to:
Begin with the end in mind. The next step must serve the last step.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The only way we find out is to ask.
Make a plan. When you know what road you were going to take, it’s easier to find alternative routes.
Avoid those easy paths. They’ll just lead you astray.
It’s hard enough for an individual to correct their course when the road ahead looks like it’s not going where you wanted it to. For an entire company, that means changing the map for dozens or hundreds of employees. Through Catalytic Coaching, hundreds of organizations have found a way to protect themselves from the jarring influences of chaos while also building up their talent pool with the right people.
Commit to investing in that kind of peace of mind by sending someone to the upcoming Catalytic Coaching Mastery Program this January 25-28. It’s the first session of the year and will get you off on the right path for this year. Registration is still open, but time is running out. Secure a ticket today by visiting our Mastery Program page.
