October 2026 – Page 3 – leadership dots

A colleague was lamenting that volunteers kept backing out of a service project she was leading. One had a sudden illness (obviously a good reason to decline), but others were rescinding their offers for reasons that existed when they first said yes. One realized it was the same date as his son’s wedding! Another had a vacation booked already. Both seem like dates they should have remembered.

It was one of my biggest frustrations when I made an offer to candidates and was turned down. I heard things like: “It’s too far away” (even though our campus hadn’t moved since they applied), or “my spouse doesn’t want to move” (a conversation that should have happened before the application).

It can be easy to say yes with good intentions, but it’s better to say yes intentionally and mean it.

A frequently overlooked part of any project is the initial thinking that is required to determine exactly what the project entails. It’s much more fun — and seemingly productive — to jump in and start doing, but the entire process will go more smoothly if it is well thought out from the start.

Instead of asking someone to implement an event, assign their first task to outline the program’s parameters.
Rather than expecting someone to write copy for a brochure, ask them first to think about the purpose of the piece.
Instead of assigning someone to assess your programs, start by having them consider what elements should be assessed and how you may collect the data.
Rather than jumping in and reorganizing a system, make your first step thinking about the desired outcome.

The initial stage of most work should involve a few hours of concentrated thinking. Assign the planning stage with the same diligence and time commitment as any other tasks in the project.

Month: October 2026

leadership dot #5063: backing out

leadership dot #5062: first step