Not just the destination

 It’s a cliche, isn’t it - that life is not just about the destination but the journey involved in getting there as well, however some cliches do in fact make a lot of sense. I’m all for setting goals to achieve and having end destinations to get to, but I do wonder at times in doing so if we ever fail to appreciate and value the journey in getting there.

We spend such a large amount of our lives trying to reach and obtain goals that we set ourselves - whether that be in our careers, relationships, with material possessions we desire, or hobbies and achievements. The time it takes to reach these goals can vary wildly, from hours to days, months to years. At times achieving the end goal takes a lot of skill, effort and hard work and at other times it’s as simple as just waiting for the final destination to happen.

Appreciating the journey along the way helps us to live more in the present and learn from invaluable experiences and opportunities which help us to change and grow.

In leadership it could be the journey to finishing the project, winning a client, getting that promotion or closing a deal, perhaps it might be working towards a qualification, restructuring the business, producing the strategy, a key presentation, or it could be the long awaited moment of retirement. We may not always think of our lives as a series of destinations but in reality we have various end destinations every day to a certain degree.

So what opportunities do we need to look out for on the journey? Maybe opportunities for:

• Growth - when we are preparing or planning, when we are moving towards the goal there is often so much struggle and difficultly. The process can be painful at times, but this is the very thing that brings growth. How are we supposed to develop and grow as leaders in our decision making, or problem solving without going through these moments. The journey gives us opportunities to grow in many different skills and areas but also in our character as well. We can develop patience, resilience, kindness, the list is endless. Once we’ve completed the task, reached the destination, achieved the goal, let’s pause and reflect consider how we’ve grown.

• Change - the longer the journey the more time we have as leaders to evaluate and consider our decisions and plans, and actually it might be the smartest move to make changes in order to achieve an even better outcome - the journey helps with clarity and allows us time to make those all important changes.

• Relatability - when we are working towards a goal and collaborating with team, it gives us as leaders the space to connect with our people, to get to know them better, which helps to build trust - fundamental to any healthy workplace culture.

• Learning - we can learn new skills, new knowledge and wisdom, new things about ourselves - a leader who stops learning is in danger of becoming ineffective and detached. What are you learning, or what have you learnt along the way?

• Gratitude - I was recently on a long train journey across the north of England, and my mind was totally occupied with a hundred and one other things - top priority was all about getting to the final destination. But my friend who was with me on the trip, took time just to stare out the window and enjoy the scenery - which was beautiful but was totally passing me by as I stared at my phone distracted and willing time to pass. When I finally paused to be still and stare I too was able to just appreciate the countryside and take a moment to be grateful for all that was around me. The journey to any end destination affords us opportunities for gratitude - to appreciate beauty, friendship, the support or encouragement from others, our health, our homes, our work, our teams - don’t let the destination rob us from being grateful along the way.

• Experience - there are always new experiences to have and from these experiences they help us the next time we face a similar problem or scenario. Every experience good or bad is valuable and it’s worth thinking about how the experiences will help shape things in the future.

• Fun - the journey brings anticipation and expectation - there’s an optimism and excitement that we can embrace. Don’t forget to have fun along the way!

• Talent Spotting - if we are journeying towards the completion of a team project, as a leader look out for the various skills and talents that your people are demonstrating through the process - who has potential, who is showing signs of leadership - and ask yourself what you can do and how you can help develop the skills that are being evidenced?

As leaders we will at any one time have a number of destinations that we are travelling to, but we must not allow the destination to cloud the journey. The journey has lots for us to discover and utilise along the way.