Does the “Fast Track” beat the slow one?

In any Industry you can come across exceptional talent.

The UK has often taken the view that University Graduates with distinct examination results should be drawn and pushed to dizzy heights at the earliest possibility.

There is no doubting that education is a vital ingredient in helping people achieve more but I have often wondered why some, with the very best start and support still fail.

My view is that knowledge in itself cannot guarantee an ending because Wisdom is the “Application of Knowledge” and it’s here you can define the outcomes.

No amount of knowledge can make some wise, so something else is needed and that “something” is experience.

Education may give you confidence but experience gives you value.

You will find many a Police Inspector who skipped the ranks and was moved quickly to a leadership role via University, without ever seeing a beat or handling an aggressive thug.

They have been given the theory of course but will it sustain them in a real life situation?

Another issue is respect. It needs to be earned.

How is that possible if you never learned “on the job”.

In Business some are quickly promoted beyond their skills.

The Son of the Owner gets preferred status without earning it.

When sufficient pressures turn up such ones will fail miserably because of “no exposure to the real tasks”.

I grew up in Companies where training included doing the jobs of others for a better Insight.

It made you respect others and the job they did.

I never wanted to drive a Chemical vehicle but watching others do it every day gave me a high regard for their value.

Knowing your business and your people helps in more ways than you can imagine.

If you have key responsibilities you need to understand how your decisions impact the business.

Many call themselves “Strategic” without knowing the first thing about their business.

Existing in a comfort zone becomes a hindrance.

When BS5750 (now ISO 9000) first arrived I was General Sales Manager of two Group linked Companies.

Because it was felt I was organised and good at projects our Board asked me to deal with it.

It was an eye opener.

When asking Management how they “thought” we did things, it bore no relation to the reality!

Imagine, these people were forming our Strategy and new neither our strengths or weaknesses or what we were or were not capable of.

Do you think when they assured everyone each month that they had the future “Mapped Out” that the real evidence supported the claim?

Heres a big question for all of us then:

If we are a Manager or Director DO we know how it works or do we just THINK we know?

There’s only one way to be sure.

Time is involved in achieving good things.

Being in too much hurry makes us miss or forget important details.

Can we even be sure our Managers pass reliable information to us, since they may be guessing or preferring to rely on an opinion.

When a storm comes it’s not good to hear your leaders say “I didn’t expect to need a stronger foundation”.

Strategy is “Advantageous Planning”.

Now may be a good time to be checking you have a reliable one in place.