#17 - Making it stick
I've never been a particularly patient person. My instinct has always been to start early, move fast, and build the thing. For years, my priority stack was what I thought was a model of efficiency:
- Get the thing done.
- Make sure the thing lands.
That mindset was fundamentally challenged when I started at a new job, and began working with one of the most senior leaders in the company. He was soft-spoken and deliberate, and he clearly carried influence, but he rarely pushed for motion. And worse: he pushed for my patience.
In my ignorance, I asked why we couldn't just get on with it. What I failed to see was the invisible work he was doing. The effort he put into alignment long before the project officially began. He was clearing the way.
While our team got the thing done, he spent time cultivating the landing. Talking to stakeholders, building consensus, and managing expectations. And when we shipped, as if by magic, the work didn't just land, it was embraced. No last-minute surprises. No scramble for buy-in. It just stuck.
That’s when I learned that great leaders don't just direct the work; they create the conditions for it to succeed. He wasn't slowing us down; he was ensuring our work would matter. Intuitively reversing the priorities.
- Make sure the thing lands.
- Get the thing done.
That isn't just a semantic tweak; it's a profound shift. It means the "soft" work of communication and alignment isn't the final step. It's the first. It’s building the runway before you build the plane. It feels slower at the start, but it replaces the frantic, often-fruitless scramble at the end.
It's the difference between forcing something into the world and creating the conditions for it to be pulled in.