Remember this great old rhyme?
For the want of a nail the shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe the horse was lost. For the want of a horse the rider was lost. For the want of a rider the battle was lost. For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
When I first came across this rhyme many years ago, I was so impressed by its simplicity yet profound meaning that I went out and bought a large nail (spike) and kept it on my desk at the office as a reminder. I even went so far as to incorporate the rhyme and a bag of nails into most of the training that I did back then. At an appropriate spot in each workshop I facilitated, I would read the rhyme to make a point, and then distribute a nail to each participate. A bit strange perhaps but you had to be there, it really was effective!
This remarkable little rhyme essentially communicates two closely related and powerful points that are worth reminding ourselves of, that is if being successful is important to us.
The first point and perhaps the most important is that; “the devil is in the details.” When you hear that expression, it means that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on. EXAMPLE: “I can sketch a basic outline of the plan for you and it may look very simple, but the devil is in the details.” Any goal that you might set for yourself must follow a series of steps or actions in order for it to be successfully realized. Ignore or leave one step or action out, and it could and oftentimes does spell disaster, failure or at least incomplete, shoddy work. Whatever one does should be done thoroughly; details are essential to a successful outcome! Never cut corners, your center of attention should always be on the process, it takes discipline to avoid this type of laziness.
The second point, closely related to the first, is to always remember to THINK that there is a logical and sequential progression to all things or processes. EXAMPLE: “The countdown to the launch of the space shuttle.” It is one thing to remember all steps but they must follow a particular order, to ensure a successful outcome. The natural order of life is another excellent example, illustrated quite vividly through the seasons of our lives.
At the end of the day, it all must be strategic. When it comes to life and business coaching, once my clients reach the stage in our process together of having determined their life purpose, I insist on a “detailed and progressive” approach to goal setting and action planning to help ensure at least from a strategic perspective that there will be a successful outcome in the realization of one’s life purpose or mission! It is a process of envisioning a future for oneself that in its implementation and accomplishment brings a person to a place of fulfillment, approaching self-actualization. "And it all hinges on a horseshoe nail!"
James Ladd
Your Personal Coach
TO DOWNLOAD OR PRINT THE COLOUR VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE YOU CAN GO TO MY WEBSITE AND CLICK ON THE "NEWS" SECTION.
FOR THE WANT OF A NAIL - To learn more about this author, visit James Ladd's Website.
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James Ladd
(Visit James's Website)
JAMES LADD B.A., C.H.R.P., C.P.I.R.
Life & Business Coach, author and speaker,
who has without a doubt been down the
"Road Less Traveled," having survived and
thrived after a double lung transplant in
August of 2003. Jim comes to this place in
his incredible life journey with a dynamic
combination of work and life experience.
Jim worked as an Organizational & Human
Resource Development Specialist for over
35 years in the private, public &
non-profit sectors and also managed a
provincial government employee assistance
program serving over 15,000 employees. He
has authored and facilitated a wide
variety of training programs covering such
diverse topics as; managing organizational
change, conflict resolution, performance
management, managing and/or coping with
stress, interviewing & counseling skills,
supervisory & management skills. His most
recent publication titled; "THE PERSONAL
TRANSFORMATION GUIDE: Raising Awareness of
Self to Slay the Dragon," is available
through his website. In the community he
became an award winning football coach
over the course of 25 years (Coach of the
Year 3M of Canada, Coach of the Year,
Developmental Category, Coaches Assoc. of
Manitoba
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