staying the course

Whenever I visit Chicago (my location this morning as I write this blog) my thoughts go to my life-long obsession with the Chicago Cubs and the agony and ecstasy they have provided me over the past 59 years.  As I watched the game yesterday with my mother (93 years young and still rooting for the home team) I was reminded of the age-old admonition to stay the course.  For years the Cubs kept changing managers, making long-shot trades, and introducing all kinds of gimmicks that, for the most part, resulted in late season (and often early season) collapses.  Over the past four years, starting in 2015, they have been winning consistently and ending the seasons with a winning record (and for those of you who might not yet know, won it all in 2016).  The difference is The Cubs Way, a formula the team devised for winning and have been following ever since.

Following The Cubs Way was incredibly difficult prior to 2015 while the club was developing their players and philosophy across the organization AND the major league team kept losing.  "Stay the course" was the mantra that the leadership of the organization kept in front of themselves, even when others (and especially their fans) wanted changes made.  "Stay the course" was what had previously worked for the leadership  in different organizations and different places across time.  "Stay the course" had to be reiterated over and over and over until leadership tired of saying it...and then kept saying to anyone who would listen.  And eventually, after five years of frustration (actually 117 years of frustration), my Cubs won it all...because they had chosen to stay the course.

What makes staying the course so hard for those in leadership roles?  Here are a few thoughts:

• the pressure to win: whether it is stock prices, revenue share, increasing margins, community recognition, or winning a championship, when people feel the need to win now and to win at all costs, shortcuts will be taken.  Sometimes these risks pay off, and sometimes they lead to disaster.  Managing the pressure to win with the need to stay the course is something all leaders must balance over time.
• the bright, shiny star: everyday I receive emails with new and improved ways to increase revenue for my organization.  While I cannot ignore such pitches, I have to keep in mind that not everything that is new will result in positive changes (even if it has worked for other organizations).  Managing the search for innovative techniques with the need to stay the course is something all leaders must balance over time.
• the hero syndrome: winning (or however one translates that for their organization) feels good and puts the spotlight on the leader.  If doing something different allows the organization to be successful, then the leader will receive the recognition (which is often deserved).  Managing one's ego with the need to stay the course is something all leaders must balance over time.
• distractions: when all else is failing, and the outcome is consistently less than desired, something new and different might just feel good while distracting the leader and the organization from doing the necessary work that had been previously determined.  Managing people's need for enjoyment and stress relief with the need to stay the course is something all leaders must balance over time.

Here's what I know...staying the course is hard work.  It demands a lot of those who work to stay the course day after day; it demands a lot of those who benefit from staying the course day after day; and it demands a lot of those who must make decisions to ensure that the organization stays on course day after day.  Remember this...once the Chicago Cubs determined to stay the course, it was a mere five years until they were crowned World Series champions.  How long are you willing to stay the course for your organization's mission and vision?