Are you living in the moment or planning for the future?
Posted on May 08, 2020 by Kristina Cleary, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Leaders need to intentionally shift their focus from the present to the future. The more senior you get, the more forward thinking you need to be.
Leaders, are you living in the moment or planning for the future?
When you’re in the midst of a pandemic, it can be hard to think beyond the day to day. But, as a leader, your focus needs to be long term. Thinking long term is not as easy as it sounds. I distinctly remember a conversation I had once becoming CMO of a global organization. A seasoned executive shared an extremely helpful, yet simple piece of advice; and that was, the more senior you get, the more forward thinking you must be. This is a skill no-one really teaches you or prepares you for. And yet, as a leader if you are not consciously thinking and planning about the future, it can be so difficult to get out of the day to day weeds.
When I talk about planning for the future, it’s not simply thinking beyond today. The higher up the ladder you get, the more future thinking you have to be. Leaders who are in C-level positions often have their focus set 5 to 15 years ahead. They are planning and thinking about expansion, innovation and growth across every facet of the business.
In order to think forward and plan for the future, you need to delegate. You need to trust your people to handle the day to day while providing them with the support and direction to make decisions. It’s your job to lead your team into the future – to anticipate risk and help set the course for growth.
So when you think about your day, week and month – are you living in the moment or planning for the future? What can you do to set your team and organization up for success beyond this crisis? How far ahead are your sights set?
