Decisions on a cloudy day

When I woke up to a cloudy day on Saturday, I was disappointed because the weather report had said it would be a warm, sunny day, perfect for the beach. The night before, I had declared it would be a beach day for me.? But, with the clouds, I debated if I should stay home and do some indoor projects I needed to get done.

I stuck with my beach plan with the mindset of “even if there isn’t any sun, I have a great book to read, and it’s always nice to be on the beach.”? I drove the 4 miles to the beach, and as I drove into the parking lot, I noticed that it was now a beautifully sunny day.? 4 miles away and a very different weather view. If I had stuck with what I could see, I would have missed out on the valuable thinking time I get at the beach before the crowds.

Knowing that most of you have better things to think about than my Saturday beach plans, I should probably share the connection for all of us as leaders.

As leaders, our job is to strategize, make plans, and execute them.? Sometimes, we’re ready to execute the plans, but then a circumstance changes, making us reconsider if we should move forward.

How do we decide?

• We weigh the impact of the change. For me, it was whether the clouds would ruin the experience.
• We consider whether the plan is still viable or what would have to be altered to succeed. I would still be able to have thinking and reading time…just not getting a suntan.
• We consider the pros and cons of going forward. I could be productive at home or could take advantage of perfect temperatures (though cloudy) and stick with my plan for a recovery day.

Then we decide…I chose to go ahead with the plan.

When we let a change in circumstances automatically derail our plans, we may miss out unnecessarily.? In my beach day situation, I was able to touch up my suntan and do some deep thinking about my business approaches that wouldn’t have happened if I weren’t sitting on the beach watching and listening to the waves crash.

When that next situation pops up, and your gut reaction is to squelch the plans you ahead, think again and decide if that’s really the best answer.

Wishing you an unexpected sunny day!

????♀? I am Melissa Carson.

?? I am an endurance leadership coach for both you as the athlete and as the coach for your team. We know leadership is an endurance event without a finish line, so let's ensure you have everything you need to go the distance.

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