I walked into church yesterday and immediately went to get a cup of Beanery coffee. As I was pouring my cup, I noticed a box of donuts on the counter with a partial donut and a knife inside it.
My assumption is that this box was full at the time it was placed on the counter but had dwindled down to this little piece as people stopped to take a piece for themselves. But when only a single donut was left, someone decided to simply cut it in half. Maybe he did only want a small portion, but the more likely scenario was he felt guilty about taking the last one and so decided to take half instead.
It is completely understandable why someone would feel bad about “taking the last one” as it is a normal human reaction after all. However, it made me realize something important: People never think ahead when making decisions in such scenarios and instead, wait until the last minute to start allocating resources.
Suppose the person who put the box of 12 donuts on the counter initially cut them all into thirds. There would then be 36 pieces to be allocated amongst everyone. Although nothing would prevent someone who wants a “whole” donut from taking the three pieces of it, a feeling of guilt would be triggered that wouldn’t occur if they didn’t take the last donut.
When I am facilitating strategic planning sessions, I often use a simple exercise involving 14 coins lined up in a row with a $1,000,000 bill as the 15th object. The game requires two participants to take turns picking up one, two or three objects on their turn. The winner is whoever picks up the $1,000,000 bill. Participants would often start with random choices for the number of elements they pick up until there are only a few coins left.
That’s when the players start giving their full attention. They will lean in, to more closely observe the final objects, thinking hard about their next move. It is only when the game is over that they realize the first move dictates the ultimate outcome. In fact, if you strategically play the game and have the first move, you can guarantee a win, regardless of what coins your opponent chooses.
The learning lesson is that we must focus on the early stages of a process to lead to ultimate success. Whether it is a big project, a new company launch, or your career, the steps taken early in the process are critically important to ensure long-term success.
Start paying more attention to the choices you are making earlier in the process of strategic events. It is possible that you can dictate the path of the process and “guarantee” a win, and if you want to get a whole donut, you need to get to church earlier. Or better still, bring a box of 12 – strike that – 11 donuts to share.
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David is an international speaker, executive coach, serial entrepreneur, and shipwreck survivor. He is the bestselling author of Grounded (Little River, 2016). If you’re interested in David’s expertise in the areas of leadership, finance, and public speaking, please get in touch here.