36 hours of pain

Sometimes, “building the plane while you fly it” is unavoidable. You just have to take off, move fast, and figure it out on the way.

But here’s the real question: Are you building the plane with duct tape or rivets?

Too often, “building the plane as we fly it” becomes an excuse to cut corners. “Just get it done. We’ll fix it later.” But later rarely comes and temporary becomes permanent. And you’re left flying a patched-together machine at 30,000 feet.

Yes, getting thrown in the deep end can be a great way to grow. But what if you used the chaos to take a beat and build something that lasts?

Even in the rush, you usually have a choice.

One of the reasons I struggled in Spanish class was that I often confused the past tense with the imperfect tense. They looked similar, sounded similar, and both referred to the past… but they weren’t interchangeable.

Strategy and tactics are like that. Easy to confuse, but they play very different roles. It’s a common mistake, and I experience it often.

Think of strategy as the destination and tactics as the directions.

A good strategic goal should be simple and brief:

Increase brand saliency with Gen Z
Diversify donor base across three new geographic regions
Create a strong culture with above-average retention rates

The tactics are in the weeds: partner with Gen Z influencers, host fundraising events in X, Y, and Z cities, launch monthly employee surveys.

A quick gut check to help differentiate the two:

• If changing it would shift the overall goal, it’s the strategy
• If changing it would leave the goal intact but change how you get there, it’s a tactic

Strategy sets the direction, and tactics are the steps. If you and your team aren’t clear on the difference, you’ll end up debating details when you should be defining goals.

The great Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, said that. And I forget it all the time.

Like when my partner loads the dishwasher in a way that makes my eye twitch. After all, I’ve spent almost a decade figuring out the most optimized way to load the dishwasher, and they’re throwing dishes in there like it’s a trash bin.

This is how I’m wired – and I know it’s not always easy to be around. But I value order and systems. I like things done with care, done efficiently, and done right. And I hold myself to that standard.

A problem arises, though, when I hold others to this high standard. I expect people to think the same way, act the same way, and have the same general mindset. And, surprise, that leads to way more frustration than contentment.

When I get too rigid about how others should operate, I’ve noticed that resentment begins to creep in. I start to feel frustrated and silently hold people to expectations they never agreed to. I get annoyed when they don’t approach things the way I would.

That’s not leadership. That’s immaturity. And it’s something I wanted to share that I’m working on in case anyone else relates to this dynamic.

The Stoics got it right – focus only on what you can control – even if that’s easier said than done.

Today’s post is simple – please help the victims and communities affected by the devastating flooding in Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. As of this post, the death toll is now over 80 people, and 10 young campers remain missing.

You can donate here.

Every dollar helps.

Imagine you’re in a race with competitors flanking you on both sides.

After the starting pistol goes off, there’s a strong temptation to keep an eye on them. You want to see how fast they’re going, whether they’re gaining ground on you. But the more you look, the more you lose your own rhythm and risk stumbling behind.

I’ve seen the same thing happen to organizations and individuals alike. They have competitors – or peers – that they can’t stop keeping an eye on. Maybe it’s FOMO, or just traditional fear, but with every bit of ground a competitor seems to gain, there’s a risk of losing focus on your own lane.

Competitors exist, of course. Awareness is smart, but constant reaction is not.

You need to know your space and who’s in it, but you also need to establish your lane and own it. Someone else’s path is not the path for you. Comparison often disguises itself as clarity, but it usually leads to distraction, loss of direction, and even resentment

Run your own race in your own lane.

Over the last few months, we’ve implemented something new across our leadership team: an organizational scorecard. It’s a simple idea, but it’s already changing how we operate.

Each week, our department VPs and I review and update a simple matrix of the organization’s most important metrics – the drivers that tell us whether we’re on track or not. We look at things like membership growth, events, fundraising, employee happiness, and a few other criteria. Nothing too complicated. Just a single, living scorecard that we update every week and apply an “on track” or “off track” label.

The purpose of a scorecard isn’t to add more reporting. It’s to keep the most vital indicators front and center. When you track these weekly, you can effectively predict the future. You start to see problems before they happen.