The Journey vs The Destination
(Image from Pixabay)
The Journey vs The Destination
‘Accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination’
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Are you always focused on achieving results and then bounding onto the next thing? That often describes high-achievers and results-focused individuals. And we get known for being the people who get stuff done. Feels good, right?
So, what I’m going to suggest might feel a little counter-intuitive – but stick with me.
A key lesson for these people is to focus on the journey, not just the destination.
What I mean is to be more present with what is happening around you. Sometimes we can be so focused on the finish line or getting to the next stage that we don’t always notice if our people are still with us or not. We don’t always take the time to reflect or find out what has worked well in a particular conversation or project, so we don’t think about what we should change for next time.
Some results-focused people can end up repeating the same mistakes in their haste to get things done. All because they haven’t taken the time to reflect and make the necessary adjustments. They haven't really become conscious about how they are doing their leadership.
So, the key message here is to turn the journey into the goal. Don’t have the destination as the goal. If you are a results-focused person, chances are you're going to achieve the outcome anyway, so try being more present through the journey and take note of what you notice.
Tips to become more present and consistently increase your impact:
Get clear for yourself - do you naturally focus on the journey or the destination? What is your current orientation?
Do you take time to reflect on how things have gone, what has worked well, and what you could do differently next time, or are you constantly racing on to the next thing?
Being present requires us to move from being constantly focused on the next thing to becoming more focused on what is going on right now.
If you want to increase the engagement and motivation of your people and have more impact as a leader - being present is a pre-requisite.
Need some help
If you would like to understand more about how being present can positively impact the results you are getting - not only with your outcomes but also with the engagement and motivation of your teams, we should chat.
Alternatively, you could grab a copy of my book Inside Out: Why Leadership Starts With You.
Something to think about ….
Lead with impact!