Summary: In this episode of CIO Playbook with Jeffrey Hurley I will be discussing the impact of goal obsession and how that obsession can lead to decision-making focused on achieving the goal at the expense of other opportunities and often ignoring the issues and risks around you when choosing to pursue the goal above everything else. Marshal Goldsmith in his book what got you here won’t get you there dedicates a chapter to the 21st habit that holds successful people back. This habit being overly focused on the goal to the detriment of other opportunities. Now each of you know how important focus is in achieving your objectives. Much of what we read about success and goal setting talks about the power of focus. Even the research on strategy demonstrates the importance of focus in achieving success. Yet that very same focus that drives success can at the same time be a weakness preventing your success. This conundrum has frustrated me on several occasions and I would like to share a story of one such occasion. I have had a wonderful travel case from TravelPro for about a year. This case is a wheeled tote, effectively an overnight bag or briefcase. I chose the case after a lot of research to find the best case for fitting in small overhead bins on the airplane and for its ease of use. TravelPro is preferred by frequent travelers because of the quality workmanship and guarantee on the bags. One of the drawbacks of this bag is the telescoping handle. Because of the small size of the bag the handle consists of five interlocking segments. Much of the feedback from users of this bag is the regular failure of this telescoping handle. I discovered, at the one year anniversary of ownership, the reviews were correct the case’s telescoping handle broke. This is a common occurrence of this type of case. TravelPro has several authorized repair centers throughout the country. The one nearest my location happened to be located in New York City. Now as many of you know parking in the city can be a challenge. Yet I had figured that a trip into the city early in the morning would enable me to get my case repaired without to much trouble. However, I was not able to get out of my home quite early enough. Now I was operating with a time limit because the repair shop was only open until 1:00PM. This wouldn't have been an issue if I had gotten out of my home early. Unfortunately I didn't get on the road until just after 11:00. Now I had made several trips into the city with very little challenge finding street parking on Saturdays so I didn't think there would be much trouble in getting into the city finding parking dropping off my case and getting back out. I figured the hour and a half time limitation wouldn't be much trouble. This proved to not be true; as I got into the city and discovered no parking opportunities. Because I had chosen to make the trek on my own I did not have a partner that could have driven around the block while I dropped off the case. I had to find a location to park. Street after street proved to provide no parking. I thought to myself, "as a leader I am supposed to make better decisions" and yet I fell victim to the same desires we all face. I missed the following fundamentals: Overly optimistic assumptions Not enough resources No clear alternative if the scope proved difficult Not completely understanding the limitations/issues/risks involved The key with any situation is to learn from the event. Whether it be a positive outcome or a negative outcome. The Buddhists have a saying, “it is not the situation that is bad or good rather, it is how you react to it” Yes I was frustrated with not getting my travel bag in for repair. Yet the lessons I can take away are a value indeed. Overly optimistic assumptions Whenever we embark on new project or activity all of the requirements may not be readily available at the time. Most projects need an element of contingency placed in them to address unexpected challenges.
