“The key to failure is to hang on to the belief that things have to be “the way they ought to be.” The key to success is to be able to deal with things as they really are.”
– Roy H. Williams (“The Wizard of Ads”) in the March 11, 2019 Monday Morning Memo
Who decides how things “ought to be?” Hanging on to “ought to be,” seems like a sucker’s bet to me.
Cue Dr. Graff in the background (for you long-term subscribers…): “Most things in life are neither good nor bad, right nor wrong. Most things just are.”
Admittedly, I’ve stood on Principle Hill too often when principle wasn’t really in play, to my own detriment. Lesson learned? I sure hope so!
Roy Williams is a guy worth following, and this post from a few weeks ago reminds me of why. Roy’s approaches don’t just apply to advertising, his field of specialty. They’re applicable broadly across the business.
In leadership we owe it to our teams to get them comfortable and keep them comfortable with things as they unfold, and the perfectionist in us can focus too much on the desired state at the expense of “playing the course as we find it.” A good game plan is important, and when someone turns an ankle, or gets in foul trouble or when the wind kicks up or — you get the point — the plan has to be flexible enough to adapt to things, as they really are.
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