Don't Get Run Over By The Tortoise

By Jay Galbraith

How many of us have the disease of procrastination?  I know I do! Do you have a challenge in staying focused on a long-term project and toward the end you find yourself a wash in final details like a tsunami?  This is the 6th installment of the Wisdom Walk series of articles using those “simple sayings” and “pearls of wisdom” that offer insight toward authentic leadership.

I spent a number of years in the theme park business and had the unique opportunity to be a part of some really cool new attractions, coasters and even a new water park.  Each project takes years of financial, architecture, design, engineering, government approvals, construction, and marketing timelines to complete. They all need to be done in a sequential order or the project will be late, over budget, and not work properly.  This can be a disaster, as most of the time you are building market suspense for an early May open so you can take advantage of the summer vacation season.  If you are late into July or August you disappoint customers, impact your brand, and loose a season of capital spending lift.

During my days in the tourism business we had a cultural saying – “Don’t get run over by the tortoise” … and what a great visual analogy.  For deadlines in the work world, we know they are coming, we know what we need to do, we know how we need to work together. But other projects take hold, other priorities come to the forefront, and frankly the attitude of “Oh, we will get to it,” turns into another week gone by. Then when the deadline arrives it is an all-hands-on-deck panic. 

Don’t Get Run Over By The Tortoise

Think about the visual of a tortoise walking to you … you know it is coming… it is lumbering slowly, but still coming.  In the distance that tortoise looks really small and not a big deal.  As that tortoise gets closer it gets bigger and bigger. All of sudden this large prehistoric animal is upon you and you are frozen by fear and it is too late to move. That is how those big projects are. What do you do to ensure you get the big projects completed?

The challenge of procrastination for a leader is that it is a disease that your team can catch. Then you have to turn into high gear they may not be able to turn on a dime.  Keep in mind that as a person you may have learned to manage procrastination in college and in the early days of your career with caffeine-induced all-nighters.  However, you have team members that are not built to handle procrastination or the stress of “panic deadlines” and this can create un-needed anxiety for your team. Plus, most teams have significant works flows and your procrastination will throw off many important bodies of work simply because of your lack of leadership.  Thus, you set your team up for failure and they do not produce the best results.  Take some time this week to think about your leadership style and the impact of procrastination.

Now let’s think about this concept in your own life ambitions, plans and goals.  Are there dreams that you have said you will get to next year?  Do you say you will spend more time with my partner next month?  Do you say you will be more present with your kids after the important work project is done?  Do you say you will get that degree after you get your next raise?  Folks – don’t procrastinate on your dreams, goals, ambitions, family, faith … if you do, you will wake up one day and realize the tortoise ran you over.  Don’t Get Run Over By The Tortoise

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Jay Galbraith lives in Winter Garden, Florida and is married to a rock star homeschool mom. They have four kids. Jay serves on the administrative staff at Valencia College. Feel free to like/share/follow/connect on LinkedIn and Twitter