What do you do if your decision-making is torn between short-term goals and long-term strategic thinking?

One helpful strategy is to evaluate the potential risks and rewards of each decision in terms of its impact on both short-term outcomes and long-term goals. This can guide in making informed choices that benefit the organization in the present as well as in the future. Remember, navigating between short term wins and long term success requires careful consideration, adaptability, and a clear understanding of the priorities.

When deciding, weigh how it'll affect your immediate plans and broader goals. Understand your current objectives and their role in your big picture. Ask if short-term gains help or hinder your long-term vision. Short-term achievements might propel you towards your ultimate goal, or they could distract you. Consider the outcomes of each choice: will they move you towards or away from what you ultimately want to achieve? This careful consideration ensures your actions are always aligned with your overarching mission.

I prioritize actions that align with my overarching vision , I evaluate the potential impact on both time frames and I discuss with stakeholders.

According to a study in the Harvard Business Review, while examining those firms that are focusing more on long-term strategies, over a decade, they outperformed by 47% in revenue and 36% in earnings compared to the firms focusing on short-term strategies. For example, how early Amazon invested in AWS is a balance of risk and defense. First, it was just a short-term cost center, but in the big picture, it was aligned with Amazon's long-term vision of dominating cloud services. As of the year 2020, AWS produced a revenue of $45.37 billion, greatly contributing to Amazon's bottom line. Quantify possible impacts while making any decisions and align short-term actions with long-term goals.

In my experience assessing the impact is a basic thing leaders are ment to consider, the impact of your actions is why you're talking the action to begin with.

The team need to be really clear on the WHY of the priorities - how the short-term objective leads to the long-term goal. This needs to be a real understanding of the strategy, there should be no secrets or sense that strategy is for leaders only. Otherwise they won't be able to make tactical decisions, they won't know what should receive most effort, and they won't be motivated to complete what may seem a pointless or dull task that actually is essential for the longer term goal.

Plugging another book- "The Infinite Game" by Simon Sinek. Focus on purpose and values, strategically directionally correct decisions, opposed to short-term mathematically correct targets. Easier to get where you want to go if you know where you're going. Kodak got disrupted by the digital camera, ironically first invented by their own R&D teams. Obsessed with the finite game of short-term revenues, Kodak's leadership did not have the Existential Flexibility to disrupt its profitable businesses to pioneer the digital camera. Finally, their competitors caught up, patents expired, and Kodak had to file for bankruptcy.

Aligning priorities, is very important, I think this should be the first thing cause if your priorities are not aligned your assess impact wouldn't be possible

The game of soccer is divided into two halves. The process is to keep the intensity throughout the game. When every player is assigned a clear process ownership, the overall result aligns. Obviously, there will be change of strategies due to external circumstances. Clear mapping of process ownership at individual level. Make the team visualize the larger picture of successful completion. Create open environment for discussing challenges. Ensure goal alignment without ambiguities. Track progress at every stage. Hear & Give feedback. The strength of the chain is it's weakest link. If we are able to visualise the bottlenecks in short term goals, then the long term strategy aligns automatically. Focus on the Weak links of process

Assess the immediate benefits or consequences of your short-term goals. Consider factors such as revenue generation, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Determine whether pursuing short-term gains aligns with your long-term vision or if it could potentially undermine it.

There are usually several ways to solve a problem, achieve a goal or get to a desired outcome. While sticking to one strategy, plan or decision may seem like you are being consistent or gritty, it is essential to recognise when the expected value of continuing as-is will lead to poorer outcomes than changing course. People are prone to overvaluing "sunk costs" and worrying about all the time they would have "wasted" if they abandon a plan, instead of looking for better paths forward. This results in resistance to change, and sometimes even doubling down on a failing strategy. As the saying goes, "if the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never the goal" (Daniel Hurst).

In the dynamic world of business intelligence, flexibility in leadership is crucial. It's like being a coach who adjusts the game plan based on the opponent's strategy. It's not about abandoning your long-term strategy, but making smart, agile decisions that can lead to innovative solutions. Remember, even a detour can lead to the destination! ??????

Embracing flexibility entails finding a balance between short-term goals and long-term strategic thinking. Prioritize by assessing the impact of decisions on immediate outcomes versus future objectives. Utilize agile methodologies to adapt plans as circumstances evolve. Incorporate short-term wins to maintain momentum while staying aligned with overarching strategies. Ultimately, cultivate a dynamic mindset that values both short-term gains and long-term vision, fostering resilience and adaptability in decision-making processes.

Leaders evolve through Flexible Adaptations. If everything has to go in a linear fashion, then Leadership isn't tested. Derive motivation from the World of Sports. Most games do not go as per the plan. This requires flexibility. Illustration: Festive season sales are a clear example. Everyone wants to sell more during festivities. While we do our best planning with strategies & product placements, there can be unexpected surprises from competition. They could be driving sales through hefty discounts. This could push us to adapt & improvise in a competitive landscape. This is when, we must guard the long-term strategies by tweaking the short-term actions. This could even mean selling less but not compromising on the brand equity.

Being flexible another great skill every leader needs to have, assessing the impact of ones action is one time been able to adjust it to fit your goal is another.

Gather diverse perspectives to weigh the immediate benefits against long-term implications. Encourage open discussions to explore potential trade-offs and synergies between short-term actions and the broader strategic vision. This collaborative approach can lead to more balanced decisions that align with both immediate objectives and future aspirations, fostering a unified direction and stronger team commitment to the chosen path.

Team input on group goals and activities is essential to success. Everyone needs to be clear in what, why, and how of the goals and being involved in prioritizing them is essential!

Based on my experience been able to learn from your team is an important time, no man is an island and learning always continue, if one stays idol and doesn't want to learn he has plan to fail

Never underestimate the power of fresh minds. There could be a college fresher in the team, who could come up with most innovative ideas. Tips for collaborative environment Keep a flat team structure. Encourage open conversations. Build trust through dialogues. Value ideas even if they are not being implemented. Communicate goals & vision to Team. Evaluate how aligned are they at individual level to goals. This helps in every tight corner situation. Ensure synchronization of process with end result. Take inputs to make this productive. Appreciate in public. Whenever there is an idea from team member which is being considered & taken to execution, appreciate openly. Look at every single member of the Team for motivation & ideas.

I strongly suggest that the consulting team can be a valuable asset in this kind of scenario. This helps us to determine risks and opportunities and provide strategic advice according to the organization's requirements. Also, the consulting team bring fresh views and understandings from their experiences and industry knowledge and by conducting thorough analyses, they help assess the potential impact of decisions for both goals. And, their expertise supports the development of a great strategy that balances immediate needs with plans.

I believe when we carefully assess risks as a leader, we can make educated decisions that consider both immediate gains and future results. So it is like you need to weigh the potential benefits against the possible drawbacks. Also, it helps control sudden choices that may prioritize short-term wins but risk long-term sustainability. Rather, balancing risks allows us as leaders to pursue strategic objectives while mitigating potential pitfalls, and ensures a more stable and sustainable path forward for the association.

Scenario planning is a good tool for balance of your risks Use scenario planning techniques to anticipate potential outcomes of different decision paths over both the short and long term. Identify risks, uncertainties, and opportunities associated with each scenario and develop contingency plans accordingly

Leadership is a state of mind. We must be on a constant self-introspection process to evaluate ourselves. Leadership is never in isolation. Understand through your team the effectiveness of your Leadership. At times, we could be in a single dimensional mode as a Leader. We must take a step back to analyze this. Slow down consciously. Take worktime breaks to analyze the day. Split your focus area into number of tangible components. Helps build focus. Reflect on highlights & lowlights for a particular period like a Month/Quarter/Half Year. Understand your approach to see if they complement the end goal. Create a fearless environment to hear unfiltered views, to keep evolving. Reflecting regularly is hallmark of a Leader.

This process certainly helps you to grow as, A) Short-term gains are leveraged to contribute to long-term success. and regular reflection works as a guide for us to balance short-term goals and long-term strategies. b) This gives transparency on daily challenges and helps us to see the big picture. Also, reflection helps us as a leader to assess if our decisions align with long-term goals. c) We can spot designs, trends, and potential blind spots in their decision-making. So using this process we can adjust priorities to stay aligned with strategic objectives.

One common reason why this happens is focus on the bottom line. If you’re overly concerned about quarterly or annual results strategic goals will take a backseat. This is usual for large or listed companies. Another reason is lack of a second line & this happens a lot in small & medium enterprises. The C suite gets involved in short term goals thx to quality or quantity issues in middle management. Yet another reason is operating in a volatile environment where you’re fighting fires daily & strategic thinking is a luxury. Solution for the first is not to reward significantly based on annual results or stock performance, for the second is to hire & retain managerial talent & for the last is solid risk management or an exit.

If you are a long term strategic planner then you better know how to have short term goals which are part of that long term plan. Only thing to consider is the long term needs to be not really longer than 12-18 months and these short term goals could be of a quarter or six month longer. There could be things which might need immediate attention but never compromise on the longer term vision which also means a balancing act needs to be kept in mind.

One practical concept is to establish decision-making criteria that weigh short-term gains against long-term benefits. For instance, in my role as a project manager, I developed a decision matrix that assigned weights to factors such as project deadlines, resource allocation, and alignment with long-term strategic goals. This matrix helped me objectively evaluate different options and determine whether the short-term benefits justified any potential long-term trade-offs. Having clear criteria in place facilitated more informed and balanced decision-making, ensuring alignment with both immediate needs and overarching objectives.

Prioritize tasks that contribute to both immediate targets and overarching strategy. Communicate with stakeholders to ensure everyone understands the balance. Regularly reassess priorities to adapt to changing circumstances while staying true to the project's vision.

While the above steps are a traditional approach to decision-making. I’ve found a neuroscience based approach is far more effective. When we tap into our head brain intelligence to creatively understand what we know and think about our priorities, then align it with our heart brain intelligence to compassionately feel into what’s most important and supports our values, then align them both with our gut brain intelligence to take courageous action as our most authentic self. Once aligned decisions are much easier and clearer in general and especially with navigating short and long term goals!

In today's unpredictable world, creating a long-term strategy can be very challenging. What seems like a game-changing idea now might become irrelevant in just two years. Therefore, it's crucial to regularly review our vision, ideally every six months, to ensure we're still on the right path. While it's tempting to set a three-year goal and rigidly adhere to it, flexibility is essential. Otherwise, our implementation teams may become confused and directionless, metaphorically running around like headless chickens. It's important to strike a balance between having a long-term goal and being adaptable to change.