Ed Batista On How To Think Long Term
Ed Batista On How To Think Long Term
The Executive Coach Weighs In On The Distinction Between Important And Urgent
A number of red wasps recently began congregating on a large camellia in my back yard at home. There is no nest and no discernible food source, nor do they appear to be doing anything at all beyond hanging out.
It is a peculiar thing.
This came to my attention while watering the camellia with the hose. In normal times, there is no need to water plants in southeast Louisiana in August. But this August is not normal. We are in the midst of a record heat wave coupled with a severe drought.
It is a damning combination for sensitive vegetation, which typically does not include the hardy camellia. Like I said this August is different. Even the hardy camellias are stressed, and so I am forced into service as rain maker several times per week during this inhospitable spell.
Upon one such artificial deluge a week or so ago — which I am initiating every other day now due to said drought — the rusty-colored wasps alighted from the dark green foliage, one after another, a dozen or so in number, like an orchestrated procession of helicopters but with stingers. They filled the sky around me. It was unnerving.
Fortunately for me, the wasps did not identify me as a threat. They lacked the ability to put cause and effect together, otherwise that camellia would be dry — and stay dry, as far as I’m concerned.
The lack of ability to associate action and result is not reserved for the stinging insects of the world. It is a thing for all of us, wasp and man alike, and is a particular challenge for human leaders.
Connecting the dots in a way that ensures that what you do today aligns with your long term vision is especially challenging for young leaders, who are often fresh off the production floor where urgent day-to-day matters — and short-term thinking — are nearly 100 percent of the job.
One skill that young leaders can develop to help transition toward more (and better) long-term thinking is understanding the basic difference between important and urgent. Executive coach Ed Batista defines the difference as such:
Important activities are meaningful and make a difference over the long-term to you, the people who matter to you, and your organization. But they’re not necessarily time-dependent, and if they go undone for a short stretch no one may even notice.
Urgent activities have a deadline attached to them that matters to someone, although not necessarily to you. They are time-dependent, at least in someone’s mind, and if they go undone that person is going to be unhappy. But they’re not necessarily meaningful and accomplishing them may not make a significant difference.
Taking that a step further, Batista explains why knowing the difference between the two matters for effective leadership:
(Leaders are) under constant pressure to pursue urgent activities--sometimes from others, sometimes from within. And yet if they always yield to that pressure--if they lack the discipline to resist it--they will under-perform in the long run.
Much like the combination of record heat and severe drought for sensitive plants, not knowing the difference between urgent and important is damning for leaders. In order to lead effectively, you’ve got to know what absolutely needs your attention today and what does not, and that ability is dependent of you knowing the difference.
Batista goes on to suggest four ways to improve your discipline in regards to protecting and strengthening your ability to think long term. For those interested in leadership it is worth a read and, while you’re there, a subscription to Batista’s newsletter too.