Sunday, August 02, 2015

Do You Give Initiatives Enough Lead Time and Think Time?

Do you consider time to think when you create plans for teaching, learning, and leading?

I volunteered to work on a committee in the fall. I know that to do good work requires lead time efforts with regard to reading, researching, and thinking.

I've reached out, but the committee has not reached back.

I'm not going to push, but I have a sense that they'll hand me a pile or papers to read and understand the day before the first meeting which is a time that I'll be very, very busy with work related to teaching students well.  That last minute transfer will not allow the time needed to do really good work.

I think that a lot of people and organizations have become accustom to last-minute work, and I think this is true because they haven't embraced the notion that lead time and think time is a very valuable commodity.  When you do most of the work a good month or more ahead of time, you give yourself plenty of think time to plan for good work and effort.

I also believe that many don't see the promise of depth, and the freedom of lead time. When you're ahead, you have much more time to let ideas simmer, and just like a good sauce, when ideas simmer, they often do become better.

You have to leave some room for spontaneity and serendipity, but for the most part, lead time and think time give every endeavor a greater chance for substance, success, and depth.