Race car drivers are told over and over again to look at the track, not the wall. Leaders are told to envision the future, not get bogged down in the current reality. The advice is sound, but insufficient.
Race cars don't magically steer themselves. Organizations don't magically right themselves. Vision is important. Operational excellence is essential.
Keep your eyes on the future and your hands on the controls.
One of the most valuable tools for managing operations is the milestone tool. It's one of those that is every bit as simple to deploy as it seems. The real value comes in leveraging the tool to manage operations. It's all about discipline and follow up to manage milestones as a team. The #1 thing that gets in the way of this is the manager losing interest. Don't do that. Get your operational process in place and follow through on it. We all know the risks of distracted driving.
