This is true for people you lead, as well.
How many times have you seen a sudden drop in motivation or performance, yet when that same person or team is given self-directed time to accomplish things, they'll spend a disproportionate amount of time researching it?
I like to call this the "summer vacation planning method".
Most people put more time into planning their summer vacation than they do into planning
- Their families
- Their careers
- Their next step(s)
As leaders, we have an obligation to those counting on us to
- Understand where they are in their goal-reaching progress, and
- Help them identify the "next step" when they've reached a certain point in their progress.
I have found that 40%-50% completed is about where attention starts to fall off, and the next goal needs to be defined. This same goal will need to be sharpened, refined, and (potentially even) publicized around 85%-90% complete.
