"Incidents should not govern policy; but policy, incidents."
Napoleon Bonaparte
Late 18th century French general
Eight words, which, in my opinion, should be the center piece of management philosophy.
Don't react to transitory events.
Manage in a way that is, as much as possible, appropriate for the great majority of likely events.
Manage in a way that is, as much as possible, appropriate for the great majority of likely events.
Unfortunately, most of us, in most aspects of life, react to what happened last. We fight the battle the way we should have fought the last one, prepare for the last snow storm, study for the last exam.... There's something to be said for learning from one's mistakes, but how much better if we could focus on what's actually happening now and where we want to go.
ReplyDelete"Do as I say, not as I do", right Julie?
ReplyDeleteLeast anyone think otherwise, some of what I suggest others do in this blog, is not always what I do. It is only what I wish I could and/or try to do.
I am currently struggling with a "crisis", one that involves many more unknowns than knowns. Were I advising someone in my position, I would tell them to coolly evaluate and separate fact from assumed fact, only acting on what is real, not worrying about the rest.
That's what I would tell them and while I am doing a better job of listening and acting on my own advice than I have at times in the past, it is a difficult, never ending struggle.
This post relates because I am trying to force myself to act based on my "policy" for the situation I find myself in, rather than creating reactive "policy" based on the latest information.