Funny what a difference a day makes. Yesterday the state road report for driving conditions looked like a summer days. Reports of dry and clear pavement seemed to be the report du jour. Today, I see difficult conditions throughout the state and closures starting to appear of the roads with the most snow. Sometimes we have to travel on such a day and we just realize that it is going to take a lot more time and a greater amount of energy to get between locations. However, there are times when we need to reach a destination at some point and yesterday’s conditions would have been preferable to today’s mess. One of the strengths I see in great organizations and leaders is the ability to work with a strategic filter and not just a plan. The plan is rigid. The plan and accompanying schedules are tremendous when you have to meet a deadline to meet like submitting your taxes. But plans can be less ideal when responding to opporunities. I recall sitting in a meeting with a TV screen on in the background during the morning of 9/11. I cannot recall a single detail about the meeting but I vividly remember the events of the day (as many of us do). Somebody in the meeting should have had a filter that said ‘let’s meet another day.’ The opportunity for any comprehension or input was lost due to an external force. This is an extreme example but I am more certain that appropriately timed actions can lead to extraordinary results.

What if we were clear about the outcomes we desired and used appropriate filters to help us navigate the way?