“The road to hell,” as they say, “is paved with good intentions.” How true is that? In my life, it rings true.
Five Frogs
Today I heard a story. It was a simple little story ending with a question, and it went like this. A man, while out walking through the woods, came upon a beautiful quiet small pond. Near the middle of the pond was a log and on that log sat five very smart frogs. Then four of those frogs decided to jump into the water. How many frogs were left on the log?
Well, most folks answered that there was one frog left on the log. However, one bright child observed that we don’t know how many frogs are left on the log because we don’t have information about which frogs followed through with their intentions! Of course, she was correct.
Accountability
Intentions are not actions, and they don’t move us toward our goals. After the planning is done, after the strategy is set, and the vision statements plastered all over our offices and plants – what do we do to make sure the good intentions are followed through and acted upon? How do you hold yourself and your teams accountable for executing? Do you have an accountability partner?