Direction

Our direction is one and only one. Also, it is a noun, not a verb. I emphasize this to clarify many misunderstandings on the subject that could be rather obvious. The direction where we live is a case, the direction of our life plan is another, and a business direction is another; they have some differences, but they start from the same concept. In all of them, the direction is one and only one. There is a total contradiction when there are multiple directions to pursue because the second, third, or fourth directions deny the first. In addition, the direction must be detailed and specific in all cases.

For example, applied to the case of the place or direction where we live. It is not possible, and we'd better never try to check it out, pretend to apply it to a personal matter, and say that you live around the area of apartment "305". That is, if you get to sleep in the apartment "304" or "306", it does not matter because you are close enough to the target; the same happens if you get to "205" or "405", a little up or down is not so bad. Although this approach has some merit, it will be unacceptable in that context, and if it is repeated on several occasions, we can imagine the causes and consequences.

If we extend this assessment to the direction of the personal life plan, it is also valid. Our life plan, which we must be intentional in having, reviewing, updating, and tracking, must also have a clear direction. If we have no life plan, we unconsciously give up our great potential and belong to someone else's. Be very careful with this. Coming back, this life plan has direction. And the most important thing about knowing this precise direction is that we know that everything outside of it is a distraction that can take you away from the goal temporarily or definitively.

And appealing to our junior year physics course, a coordinate vector specifies the arrow's orientation and the magnitude of the force with which it directs this direction. This concept is fundamental because in the life plan, by maintaining our constant direction, each time the magnitude or force of progress is greater, that is, if we are doing the task properly. We can call this experience learning, development, growth, or, in financial terms, the compound effect. We will sacrifice some of the previously gained force if we change orientation. However, I recognize that in life, slight changes in orientation compensate for slight reductions in force momentarily.

In our life plan, as in the case of the directions of our house, knowing exactly where we want to get will prevent us from the distractions around our goal, which, however good, close, or attractive they may seem, will end up being a waste of time and effort that could have been much better spent.

To identify the direction of the life plan, you have to know inwardly which port you aspire to reach and which route is worth enjoying with all its highs and lows. From the beginning, the life plan must have the purpose and meaning of one's life as its source of inspiration. This purpose summarizes four areas of performance: profession, vocation, mission, and passion. The profession we get paid to do, the vocation we know how to do, the mission the world needs, and the passion we want to do it. Some authors, like John Maxwell, place greater weight on passion. Maybe, but never stop looking at the other ones. In my case, I am more inclined to recommend the balance of the four. Life's meaning revolves more around how you are achieving that purpose; values and personality play a lot in driving your style. This balance provides a solid foundation for your life plan, reassuring you're on the right track. That's a critical topic beyond the reach of this blog.

This healthy combination of life plan and purpose brings us very close to the high performance mentioned earlier. It gives organization leaders your direction in life, as we all deserve. "Life is simple but hard to maintain like this," and "The hardest person to lead is yourself" are short sentences from John Maxwell that apply very well to this case.

Finally, the task is greatly simplified if we want to apply direction to the organization; all individuals know what direction is on a personal scale. It gives me the feeling that I almost don't have much more to say, but one thing. The organization's leaders should know better than anyone else that their home (integrity) and the direction of their life plan will be experienced as a habit. They should understand their direction and empathize with their followers, making them feel valued and understood.

Then, they must know how to listen, communicate, trust, be trustworthy, and influence (genuine leadership). At the organizational level, all previous efforts and behaviors mentioned above converge; it is also where the faults will be noticed. In this case, it is crucial not to cover these fallacies with authoritarian impositions. No one is perfect, neither leaders nor followers nor organizations. However, the process and life will be facilitated when we know our direction! Knowing our direction enables progress, and life turns more joyful. This inspires and motivates us all!