LAG Measures vs. LEAD Measures
Which do you focus on?
The above is a concept I’ve only come across in the last week or so: LAG measures of progress vs. LEAD measures. (From the book, “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling). It’s already been a huge help to me! It’s really just a new way to think about a goal or result orientation (LAG) versus a process orientation (LEAD). But the distinctions hold great clues here about what drives action on a daily basis.
We are goal-oriented creatures (the fancy word is, teleological). We need to shoot for something. And, especially if we’re shooting for something big or audacious, it can become daunting.
As an example, let’s take one of the most audacious and daunting goals I know - the first Bodhisattva Vow: “Creations are numberless. I vow to free them.”
Now, there’s really no way to succeed at this, right?
“Numberless” implies “infinite” (or at least, infinite for all intents and purposes). And even if I could encounter all beings in a single lifespan, how in the world could I understand the myriad ways in which each of them is stuck and find the exact right strategy to “free” each of them? The success of any single human in accomplishing this task would be, at best, negligible - IF - you measure their success using the LAG measure of how far the task is from completion. (In this case, almost infinitely far.)
However, if you focus on the other end of the process and measure success by accomplishing the small, first step, and then the next, and the next, you’re using a LEAD measure.
How is this impossible Bodhisattva Vow strengthened in an individual human?
Perhaps by 1. developing a consistent practice of meditation and, over time, experiencing some de-centering of individual identity. 2. Inviting feelings and impulses of altruism to take hold that eventually results in consistent acts of kindness. 3. Expressing a grounded, centered energy in challenging situations, as well as in daily life. While still challenging, placing our focus on the LEAD measures (the small actions that take us a little closer to our North Star Bodhisattva Vow) motivates us to take action consistently on a day-to-day basis rather than leaving us daunted and overwhelmed.
The vow is the vision for the endpoint of all of humanity’s practice - an expression of what would happen if we ALL took the vow and worked toward it. Our distance from the goal (the LAG measure) is motivating when we inevitably forget WHY we’re meditating, grounding our energy, and acting with kindness.
Measuring the consistency of our practice and taking small, building block actions on a day-to-day basis (the LEAD measure) allows us to keep moving no matter how far away our big, audacious goal seems.
How about you? If you’re like me, there are plenty of other much smaller goals in your life that you’re evaluating using LAG measures. (Savings or debt payoff goals. Fitness goals. Bucket list items. etc.) What goal of yours could benefit from shifting to LEAD measures of success? Could this improve your focus on the next important task at hand?