Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

I’ve had the privilege of visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial several times in my life but learned something different on my most recent trip. Listening to a park service employee recount the artist and the work, the interruptions and the challenges, the work that more than two million visitors flock to each year is a far cry from the original intent and nowhere near “complete”. The question posed in the sculptor’s studio is whether the memorial is any less remarkable. She taunts, “You decide.”

George S Patton is credited with the statement, “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Good leaders have a vision of what they’d like to see happen. Whether our tools are fists, rifles, dynamite or tongues, we all seek to carve out something significant, meaningful and valuable. The vision may not turn out exactly as planned (ie Jefferson’s nose breaking off resulting in his likeness being blasted off the left side of Washington) but the finished product still draws millions each year.

What examples can you think of that don’t align with your original vision? Did you have to change plans to reach your goal? Were you nimble enough to accomplish what you set out to? Were you tolerant of the obstacles and did you successfully navigate or were you derailed from realizing your vision?

I can think of many times where something trivial interrupted a good plan in my life and career. It can be devastating or mildly inconvenient but most of the time that depends on our attitude toward said interruption. We all get punched in the face at some point in our life. It tests our resolve and maybe alters the course but should not deter us from accomplishing what we set out to do.

I have grown to believe my life’s work is to help people and companies to reach their full potential; a nudge in the right direction, a challenge to the status quo. Not to do things for them, rather to help them realize their vision, carve their memorial and win their battles. One conversation at a time, one day at a time, building momentum.

As you go out in to the world this next week, remember to be gentle. Everyone is fighting a battle of some kind.

Have a blessed weekend!