Why Sticking to the Plan Isn’t Always the Best Plan
I am currently training for the Capital City River Run Half Marathon in Lansing, Michigan, on September 20. The best part isn’t the race itself—it’s that I’ll get to run it with our daughter, Jacqueline, who now lives in Lansing and works as a Federal Impact Reporter for The Associated Press.
As a certified running coach, I did what any coach would do: I created a training plan complete with mileage, rest days, and progressions carefully designed to get me to the starting line ready.
It is a great plan.
I hope I actually follow it.
The problem is that I live in Coastal Georgia, where running outside in July and August sometimes feels less like exercise and more like voluntarily walking into a sauna wearing sneakers. (In the photo above, you can see me wringing out my shorts after a long run Saturday. This time of year, my clothes are wetter after a run than when they come out of the washer.)
Between now and race day, I’ll also be traveling to Atlanta, South Dakota, and Detroit to present leadership programs. Georgia Southern University’s fall semester starts in mid-August, and I’ll be back in the classroom teaching Public Speaking. Somewhere in there, I’ll need to sleep.
In other words, life is about to happen.
That doesn’t mean the goal changes—I will run the half marathon. Honestly, though, I’d be willing to bet that the training plan will change.
Too often, we think changing the plan means we lacked discipline or commitment. In reality, progress usually depends on making smart adjustments along the way. The best leaders—and the best athletes—know that sticking to a plan that no longer fits reality is not perseverance. It’s stubbornness wearing a motivational T-shirt.
Whether you’re leading a team, managing a project, or pursuing a personal goal, expect that you’ll need a few mid-course corrections. Here are three ways to make them effectively.
Monitor progress, using data to reveal reality. Are your actions producing the results you expected? If not, the numbers are giving you valuable information, not a failing grade.
Address issues early. A missed workout, delayed deadline, or communication breakdown is much easier to correct today than next month. Small adjustments often keep minor problems from becoming major detours.
Communicate changes clearly. When plans change, explain why. People are far more likely to support an adjustment when they understand the reason behind it. Clear communication builds trust, even when the destination stays the same but the route changes.
A GPS doesn’t announce, “Well, you missed the turn. Good luck with the rest of your life.” It simply recalculates. Great leaders do the same.