Lesson 3: Start with the end in mind!

Today, I'd like to start off with a personal confession: I enjoy drinking rather heavy, rich white wines which have spent a considerable time in oak barrels and which have a caudilie over fifteen. Caudi-what?

Picture: Jiska Ravenhorst, www.youthphotos.eu

Let the longterm outcomes influence shortterm decisions!

Of the many ways in which wine aficionados describe their favourite beverage the unit "caudilie" may be one of the least known, although it describes a rather important quality: the length of a wine's finish or aftertaste. The longer the taste of a wine lingers on your tongue after the actual liquid has left your palate, the higher its caudilie (measured in seconds). And - in general - the higher its caudilie, the better the wine. Yes, I admit, there is also a substantial number of wines where a low caudilie is preferable - those wines are usually described as "paint stripper" and are barely fit for human consumption - but in the premier league of wines, a high caudilie is the way to a wine lover's heart.

In a sense, the caudilie could also be called the wine's "sustained enjoyment" : on the timescale of the actual drinking process, it describes long-term benefit. It's not a quick gulp - instead, the wonderful taste lasts longer and furthers your enjoyment.

When we look through recent newspapers, it seems that for the last few years, decades even, too many of the people in charge - to stick with the metaphor - were in for the quick gulp rather than long-term benefits. The financial crisis or "credit crunch" we are currently experiencing appears to have been - at least in part - caused by the tendency of some (not all!) companies to tie their employees' pay too much to the corporations' short-term benefits rather than the long-term sustainability of their business model. It seems that too often, the term "shareholder value" was interpreted as "until this year's shareholder meeting", ignoring the long-term perspective and implications. Don't get me wrong - not every company behaved in this way. And it is far from easy to develop benefit and incentive systems which consider long-term developments in a fair and transparent way.

jan onno reiners, PHD Jan Onno Reiners works as executive coach, trainer and keynote speaker in Berlin. His background includes a PhD in biotechnology, seven years of strategic management consulting and improvisation theatre. Find out more about him and his work on www.jorhd.com.

However, when we look at some of Europe's most pressing problems, for instance climate change, demographic change and its implications on workforce and pension system, development of an effective and fair education system, all these issues are long-term processes. And thus difficult to address, manage and control by people who are voted in and out of office on a regular basis, even a short-term basis when compared to the issues in question. (Yes, again, I admit that some of those "powers that be" should be voted out of office sooner rather than later, but very often that's just the benefit of hindsight.)

So, what's the message for you? I suggest you let the ideas of sustainability and long-term development influence your career choices. However, I am far from suggesting that each and every one of us should start working for an NGO right away - although there are certainly worse ways to spend one's time. I would simply like to suggest that on a regular basis, you sit down and consider your long-term goals and perspectives. Where do you see yourself in five or ten years? How do you want to live, work, spend your free time? And please take into account that it is quite likely that the job you'll be having doesn't exist yet! What is important to you? What makes you tick in the long run? The clearer your long-term objectives are in your head, the better informed and easier your short-term choices will become. As Stephen Covey put it: "Start with the end in mind."

It seems that companies have also started to address the challenges of business model sustainability. One of them, which was just recently brought to my attention, is the Four Seasons hotel chain. In its operating principles, it states that it strives "to persistently seek ways to maintain a competitive position in all [its] actions, but never to compromise [its] principles or the company's long-term goal for the sake of short-term profit." According to my sources, this is not lip-service but a living and breathing company policy.

And regarding long-term financial investments, have you considered investing in wine? Even if the price goes South, you can still drink it.

Have a nice day!

Recommendations:

"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" (S. Covey)
"An Inconvenient Truth" (DVD, A. Gore)