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A stitch in time saves nine.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Measure twice - cut once.

 

These adages have earned their keep - many times over. They have served us well and I am not ready to throw them away - but I think we need to think about it a bit.

 

In the knowledge era - we are dealing more often with people, data, decisions and speed.

 

Making the right decision a day late - can be a wrong decision.

 

I recall hearing the same story from two different MBA grads. They went to different schools but went through the same exercise. A group of MBA's and a group of marines were simultaneously given an impossilble task - something like getting someone else's truck onto the roof of a nearby building in ten minutes. Each group was assigned a different truck but the same roof.

 

The MBA's debated the issue and never left the classroom. The marines immediately dispersed to the task including assigning someone to make sure that no one moved the truck while the others worked the problem.

 

Eight mnutes into the assignment the task was changed to - remove the tires from the vehicle. Of course the marines succeeded while the MBA's watched in dismay as the owner of "their" vehicle drove off with their vehicle intact.

 

So while caution is still wise - so is a bias for carefully crafted actions.

 

Are we designing our courses to reflect this new style of thinking by our leaders as well as our individual contributors?

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Replies to This Discussion

In the 20th Century I learned - Structure follows Strategy - and that people were structure.

In the 21st Century - thanks to Jim Collins in "Good to Great" - I learned "First Who Then What"

Are these in conflict? Do they reflect a fundamental change in the way business is done?

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