The cost of 1 degree off course
- Matt Symes
- Jun 24, 2024
- 2 min read
If you lead – you need to know the cost of 1 degree off course.
In aviation, for every 1 degree your plane veers off course, it misses its target destination by 1 mile every 60 miles you fly.
That means:
After 100 yards, you’ll be off by 5.2 feet
After a mile, you’re off by 92.2 feet
If you fly around the equator at just 1 degree off course, you’ll be 500 miles off your target destination.
It’s called the Compounding Effect
The lesson seems clear:
Direction matters.
1% matters.
The compounding impact of your every decision is significant.
Small changes in direction result in big changes (good or bad).
Strategy, setting the course, maintaining the focus, and reflecting on that direction often is seen as a waste of time to too many. Many prefer to get “working.”
The truth is, strategy is hard but important work.
The raw truth: Most leaders are more comfortable playing down a level where they had success in their previous role. When we get tired, we revert to what we know or what we like to do. And most leaders are exhausted these days.
To the leaders out there:
Have you set a clear direction?
Are you on course? What metrics tell you that?
Do you have calendared time for strategy to reflect and realign on direction?
****
This is why, before anyone commits to our 12-month Levership Program, we walk them through their 12-month strategic plan to connect their daily activities to the larger outcomes, a customer analysis, and a pricing and market positioning exercise.
One of our most recent sessions ended with "This is magic. For the first time, I feel like I can see what I need to see to make the right decisions."
But most importantly, I hope you commit to 2 days/quarter to reset on the big decisions, 1/2 day a month to check in on major changes, commitments, and pace, and finally, 1-hour a week to drive tactical commitment.
