How do we navigate the tension between short-term and long-term leadership demands?

A CEO client and friend once said to me, “Surviving is the opposite of thriving.”

I’ve thought about that observation countless times since I heard it. And I keep noticing its truth. Across domains of life, when you do what’s easy in the short term, it can make your life harder in the long term. And when you do what’s harder in the short term, your life is easier in the long term.

A few examples:

Snooze Button. When your alarm clock buzzes, it’s easy in the moment to hit the snooze button to gain five more minutes of sleep. But later, you are groggy and are more rushed getting out the door.

Roof repair. When your home’s roof needs maintenance, it’s easy in the short term to forego roof work. The roof likely will not leak immediately, and roof repairs are not a fun way to spend money. But in the long term, delaying maintenance could result in a much more expensive full roof replacement or damage to your home’s structure.

Doctor appointment. When you delay that doctor’s appointment, it feels easier now to have that time back. But later, you regret the delay if it results in an ER visit.

Difficult conversation. As a leader, in the short term, it is tempting to put off that difficult conversation with an employee or an investor. But in the long term, you make your life harder by perpetuating a performance issue on your team, or by continuing to operate without investor clarity.

Price discounts. It is easy to give a price break to close a sale today. But in the long term, this trains your customer to expect discounts. That erodes your status and your margins over time.

Marketing budget. In the short term, it is easy to shift marketing dollars from brand marketing tactics toward performance marketing tactics. You almost surely will see a spike in today’s sales by doing so. However, in the long term, you decrease affinity and demand for what you sell.

Can you think of other examples?

And, what do we do as leaders about this pesky, ever-present, long-term/short-term tension?

1) Simply bring awareness to the tradeoffs you make with each decision before you.

Oh, I am noticing that I really don’t want to initiate that roof maintenance / doctor appointment / difficult conversation. That makes sense because in the short term it’s easier to delay. Is this short-term benefit worth the long-term cost?

Sometimes, the answer is YES! What matters is that you are consciously and honestly weighing that tradeoff.

2) Build capacity for yourself in the short term and deploy that boost for a longer-term good.

Do things that fill your tank every day. Then use that boosted energy to do something hard in the short term, but better in the long term. Create a gift for your future self.

You just enjoyed a nourishing walk with a dear friend, and you feel a surge of well-being and energy. Now, take that and do something that is hard now but that will serve you in the long term: Make the difficult phone call. Craft a payment plan for your roof.

When this practice becomes a habit, it fuels a flywheel effect. With the time and energy you save by avoiding emergencies, you grow your capacity to delay gratification now for a deeper gratification later.

Sometimes, you are going to push the snooze button. Just notice it and own it. Where you can, recommit to giving yourself the long-term favor of doing the hard thing now.

Make it a priority to build capacity in yourself every day, and to use some of that elevated energy to foster a gift for your future self.

There will always be a dance between short-term and long-term demands. It is the human condition and it is the essence of leadership! By bringing honest awareness to these moments and by building your capacity to do hard things, you can dance that tension with grace.

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About Lindsay

Ironclad Brand Strategy ?owner Lindsay Pedersen is a brand strategist whose clients include Duolingo, Starbucks, Expedia, Accolade, Pantheon, and IMDb. Her brand strategies are tested in the crucible of her proprietary Ironclad Method. Lindsay arms leaders with an empowering understanding of brand, and an ironclad brand strategy so they can grow their business with intention, clarity and focus.

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Originally published at?ironcladbrandstrategy.com/ask-lindsay