A venture capitalist once told me, "I can tell you one thing about the business plan of anyone who comes through that door...it's wrong."
His point wasn't that the people who were seeking investment were bad at planning, or stupid, or unreasonable. It was that the business plans inherently represented best guesses. And as the companies move forward in the real world, the reality they encounter gives them more information that either confirms the plan or shows its flaws. And based on that information, they adjust and adapt.
As this VC saw it, the company is rare that has the dream, executes it, and ends up with exactly what they intended. They have to make course corrections all along the way.
It's the same in our own careers as well. Often success isn't a matter of identifying a goal and rigidly grinding away towards it. It's identifying a goal that inspires you, taking steps towards that goal, and adjusting and adapting based on what you encounter.
Part of that process is taking the time to stop and evaluate. "What do I know now that I didn't know then? How does that affect what I'm doing? Are there steps I'm taking that aren't working? Are there steps I need to take that I'm not currently taking? Does my goal need to be revised? Are there opportunities I see now I didn't recognize before?"
The more you can pay attention to what's happening and adjust and adapt accordingly, the greater your potential for turning that dream (or something like it) into reality.
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Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
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