Why following the instructions is a bad strategy?

You can either choose where you want to reach or how you want to go.

You cannot choose both.

Most people know what they want (or at least think they know).

But most of them are still determining how they will get there.

This phenomenon is subtle in nature. But it is not hard to observe.

Passengers of a bus choose where they want to go. But they depend on the bus driver's experience to get there.

A coach decides the strategy for a team to play. But it relies on players' aptitude, commitment, and flexibility for its execution.

A flower wants to reproduce. But it counts on bees' desire to extract honey for pollen distribution.

If we understand this muted but important phenomenon, we can start to see the patterns around us.

The stakeholders want to get to a particular goal, like more revenue. They rarely have ideas about how they can achieve it. They want people around them to figure out how to get there.

They will not say it because they know it is their responsibility. But they are not the experts and have too many things to do.

Then you can see how 'just follow the instructions' is a bad strategy. Stakeholders need us to figure out what to do. They have an uncompromising vision about where they want to be and an opportunity for us to create a way to get there.

The same goes for leading a team. People know where they want to go. A leader can inspire them to change their vision. But the leader's job is to get people where they want to go.

The same goes for parenting. Let kids decide where they want to go. Good parents will always devise a path for kids to go where the kids want to go instead of imposing their visions on kids' lives.

Are you the destination type or the path type? Which one has more value in your position? Have a thoughtful week!

A word about why it is not possible to choose both.

That is because the goals that you set and the paths that you set, are based on your current information.

As you start to walk, you will gain more data. Some of that data might reveal that the goal is impossible or untenable, or maybe you don't want it anymore.

Similarly, you might get to know that the path is not feasible, wrong, or leads to some other goal.

Some flexibility is needed to either adjust the goals. Or to adjust the path.

If you remain hellbent on getting what you want and how you want it, you will most likely run into issues and will not be able to achieve progress.

That is why I have suggested that you stay committed to the goal or path. That's how nature makes its decisions.