If you are a consistent WorkPuzzle reader, you know how passionate we feel about developing a plan, working that plan, and then measuring the results. This simple formula is the basis for success and effectiveness in many realms of life and business. Last weekend, my wife gave me some additional insight into this principle that is worth sharing.
About ten years ago, my wife and I made the decision to home school our children. At the time, we committed to try home schooling my oldest son for a year, and see how it went. Each year, we re-evaluated this decision in an attempt to determine if it was the best educational option for our children. Maybe we became delusional along the way, but my oldest son is now a junior in high school, and my wife is home schooling five of our six kids!
One of the reasons that she has been successful at home schooling is because she develops a plan each semester and then does her best to follow the plan in her daily activities. To help in this process, she takes a few days each summer and a few days each winter to develop her plan for the upcoming semester.
Last weekend, she locked herself in a hotel room for three days to develop her plan for this fall’s semester. During these planning sessions, it is my job to watch our kids and make sure she has uninterrupted time to put her plan together. No deaths or major injuries over the weekend, so I accomplished my part of the mission!
As we debriefed from the weekend’s activities on Sunday evening, my wife expressed a frustration that surprised me. I always thought the difficult part of her job was conceptualizing the academic plans for a set of children at diverse ages and developmental levels. Or, I thought perhaps her biggest frustration might be trying to figure out a daily schedule that allows her one-on-one time with each child to teach lessons. I was wrong on both accounts.
The most frustrating part of her job is coming to terms with the differential that naturally develops between the plan that she puts together each year, and the actual results that she accomplishes. I’m not trying to suggest that she does a poor job of executing her daily activities. She is one of the most tenacious people I’ve ever met, and she does a wonderful job at following through. However, she sets very high expectations and therefore does not always meet all the objectives in her plan. This is, by far, her largest frustration.
As we talked through this issue, we wondered which was more effective:
(1) Developing a plan with high expectations and then falling short during the execution phase of the plan.
or...
(2) Developing a more reasonable plan and ensuring that every objective and task associated with the plan is accomplished.
Which frame of reference would put her further ahead in the end? Also, which philosophy is better for maintaining the long-term motivation required to be successful over time?
We’ll discuss this more tomorrow. But, in the meantime, try to answer these questions for yourself. As you put your plans together and attempt to execute successfully, are you falling short of your goals or consistently meeting/exceeding them?
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