Planning & Blinders

Through a grueling day of meetings you have developed a strategic advertising campaign for next months unexpected community open house. You knew it would take all day to get done so you did not have time to get feedback from all departments. Setting aside all other work for the day helped to keep focused and get the plan done in the time allowed but you missed an opportunity to partner with a local non-profit group for a fundraiser that could have brought additional traffic and publicity to your event.

Blinders on a horse are beneficial to the planning function of management in that they work to keep the planning process moving towards the goal. Managers can easily be distracted by other issues within an organization and need to have some system of checks and balances to keep from getting sidetracked and off goal. In meetings and within leadership teams managers who know their strengths and weaknesses will make sure there are those around them to compensate where they are week. These team members will work as blinders for the manager to keep them on task and focused on the goal.

Blinders on a horse are detrimental to the planning function of management because they do not allow the manager to compensate and adjust. If a manager is so focused on the goal that they don't see changes needed or include others in the process then they have missed some of the benefit of the process. Managers need to keep their peripheral vision clear to see situations or circumstances that may require them to adjust.

The idea of planning with blinders reminds me of a lesson a mentor of mine once taught me. He had said how when working on a project that would normally take 1 hour to complete if you allow your 5 year old to help you the project may end up taking 3 hours to complete. The question is how much more valuable is it to have that 3 hours with your child than to get the project done quickly. I have learned to see the benefit in working with others and taking more time over doing it myself and getting done quick. Not always easy but time spent learning with and from others is well worth it.