Boost Strategy, Lessen Execution
âWe should dare to move the emphasis of our thinking away from execution and towards strategy,â writes Alain de Botton.
âThere is a fundamental distinction to be made between two kinds of thinking: figuring out what we would like to achieve, and working out how to achieve it."
The former he refers to as strategy. The latter, execution.
The problem is we rush execution. We donât bother asking the âfirst order questions,â like:
What are we ultimately trying to do here?
What would best serve our happiness?
Why should we bother?
How is this aligned with real value?
We concentrate more on making money than on figuring out how to use it well. We put a lot more effort into becoming successful without reflecting what success really means to us.
âWe chain ourselves to schedules, timelines, and performance targets. We avoid asking what we might really need to flourish and so frequently learn, at the end of a lifetime of superhuman effort, that we had the wrong destinations from the start.â
This reminds me of a quote Iâve read years ago, and it sounds like this:Â
Everybody is busy climbing the ladder of success. They donât bother asking if the ladder is leaning against the right wall.
How can we avoid the trap of mindless execution?
Devote 20% of your effort to reflect on the deeper âwhyâ questions before allowing yourself to execute on autopilot.
Here are some guiding questions (in addition to the âfirst order questionsâ mentioned above):
⢠Why is this a worthwhile effort?
⢠Where will I be in a few years if this goes right?
⢠How is this connected with what fulfills me?
⢠Whatâs the point here?