The Rant: Too many objectives

What hiking can teach us about ‘Wanting it all, and all at once’

This pandemic has turned our world upside down. What we used to know, no longer exists, and what we know now, is nothing short of uncertainty. But the upside-down world we’re living in is also starting to feel a bit normal. I guess you could say we’re getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

To cope with this new normal, I recently took up hiking. Not the light, “I’m just tossing on some runners and be back in 20 minutes,” kind of hiking, but the full-gear, ready to climb that mountain hiking. At first, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, I still kind of am. But after a bit of reflection, I realized it’s probably because I relate to the activity so much (bear with me here).

Hiking and client projects: They have more in common than you think

On a recent team call, I brought up my new love for hiking - I’ll admit, I was pretty enthusiastic about it. As we kept talking, we realized the emotions I was experiencing while hiking was a lot like how we sometimes feel when we sit in boardrooms to work with our corporate clients.

Now, let me explain. The beginning of any project is like the beginning of any climb. Before we even start, we have to round up our clients and ourselves. We know we have to get a full picture of where we’re going, get the gear and team ready, and make sure we’re all on the same page about the direction we’re going in.

Let’s take a quick pause and talk about getting on the same page. One thing we always find challenging is setting clear objectives with the client. There are a lot of hills to climb and a lot of places we can go, trust me, we get it. But the reality is we can’t all go everywhere, all at once. This is a conversation we always have to have at the beginning of any project or climb. Let’s pick one hill, get the full team and set a clear direction. Once that’s set, we’ll go there together.

How to stay on the right path: On your hike and with your objectives

But what happens when we don’t start off on the right foot? What happens when we try to do everything, and go everywhere, all at once? Well, think of it as a hike. We don’t know how long it will take, people might start to feel alone as they take on different hills by themselves, they won’t have the right gear because let’s face it - is there ever enough budget? In the end, you get half-finished hikes, with exhausted people that are cold and grumpy.

When we have our initial discovery sessions with a client, we spend the most time clarifying objectives. We know it’s the hard part - not so much for us but for our client. Choosing one objective and putting all your time and energy into this one direction can be intimidating. And we get it, we’ve been on the other side. From leadership pressures to conflicting demands, everyone wants to get everything done… yesterday.

The view from the top

When you stay true to your objective, let me tell you, it’s always worth the climb! Nothing beats the view at the top of the hill when you’re not alone and feeling exhausted, but feeling fulfilled and ready to do it all over again because of the support you had along the way. Really, nothing compares.

That’s what we want for our clients. We’re here to get them to the top of the hill, maybe twice or three times over. And with the way we work, we won’t just let you at it alone - we’re going to take the hike with you.

So as strategic advisors, here’s a junxion124 double take from our rant: we can’t emphasize enough the importance of picking one objective at a time to put your time and energy behind. Because when we try to do it all, and all at once - we’re risking getting things accomplished and the view at the top!