When Making Plans Think Big, When Making Progress Think Small

It is amazing what professional and life experience can teach us if we take the time to reflect on our journeys.

Today, my reflection draws from my time in strategy for greenfield and turnkey projects and the unique roles I’ve been blessed to have. Each experience has been distinct in its offering, yet one profound lesson stands out, a principle that James Clear encapsulates well:

"When making plans, think big. When making progress, think small."

In one job, I produced results in less than four months, and boom, we were present across Zambia and well-represented within different market spaces, in six months, we were competing with established local and international brands, this one took me across the country and thousands of kilometres later, we saw fruits. In another, one of the most important of my life, it took 2-3 years before we started seeing the marks ???? of our work and investment.

My boss in the first job was somewhat surprised we pulled it off so fast. My boss in the second job? He would say, “Let’s run like hell,” pushing us to stay relentless in execution. And when the results finally started coming in, he sat back in an update meeting and said:

"This is what you’ve been working for. We can now see it."

That moment cemented a powerful leadership principle in my mind:

? When making plans, think BIG.

? When making progress, think SMALL.

Too many #organizational/#business leaders and entrepreneurs either dream too small or get frustrated when big dreams don’t materialize overnight. After some experiences in both words, I am convinced that success comes when you balance an #ambitious #vision with #disciplined execution. As such, here are five ways to master this mindset:

1. Vision Mapping & Micro-Milestones

• Think Big: Define a bold, long-term vision. Where do you want your business to be in 10+ years?
• Think Small: Break that vision into micro-milestones, weekly or monthly targets that keep you moving forward.

2. The 10x Rule & 1% Daily Gains

• Big Thinking: Set goals that push you to grow 10x beyond your comfort zone.
• Small Steps: Improve by just 1% daily. Optimize a process, refine a strategy, and enhance one customer experience. Small gains compound over time.

3. Strategic Anchors & Adaptive Execution

• Big Thinking: Establish a core business strategy that doesn’t change your values, model, and positioning.
• Small Steps: Adapt execution based on feedback, data, and emerging trends. Stay agile without losing focus.

4. Scenario Planning & Kaizen Mindset

• Big Thinking: Plan for different futures-best-case, worst-case, and most likely scenarios.
• Small Steps: Apply Kaizen, not easy but do it daily incremental improvements in leadership, operations, and efficiency.

5. Moonshot Thinking & Agile Experimentation

• Big Thinking: Aim for game-changing innovation.
• Small Steps: Test ideas in small, low-risk iterations. Launch minimum viable products (MVPs), run pilot programs, and refine quickly.

What Was My Secret Discovery?

?? Dream audaciously, execute meticulously.

?? Think decades ahead, act like every day counts because today you have control!

That’s how I think business and organizational leaders and #entrepreneurs can build real and #sustainable impact.

I would love to hear from you, how do you balance big vision with small, consistent action? Drop your thoughts in the comments. ????

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#leadership #businessgrowth #strategy #organizations #execution #drcbspeaks