I took the photo you’re looking at during my morning walk. The construction at this intersection is going on two miles away from a planned new housing subdivision under construction.
Here’s the story behind the photo.
They are laying cable to supply the new subdivision. A few weeks prior, and closer to the site, they removed debris, cleared the path, watered the ground to soften the soil, install the water and sewer system, etc. All this was to support the vision, the blueprints, of the finished housing development. Before there was visible evidence these past few months, there were unseen discussions, plans, negotiations, investments, and collaborations taking place years in advance.
Between all the unseen pre-work and the initial homeowner moving into their beautiful new home is the not so pretty work of construction. Between the last thing and the next thing is what’s known as in the meantime. Between your vision and the manifestation of your dream is what you do “in the meantime”.
This reminded me of a valuable lesson I learned from a top executive at a working women’s business conference in New York. We were presented with a real-life use case of a woman who had been offered a prestigious C-Suite position at a high-powered company. Her response, in essence, “let me talk to my husband and family about this and I’ll get back to you.”
Having been on the upwardly mobile management track for years and ascending into senior leadership, my response to the exercise at our table was she did the right thing by first talking to her husband and family before accepting the position. After all, leadership at this level would be accompanied by great benefits and rewards – for her and her family. It would also come with intense commitment, unpopular sacrifices, costly investments, and negotiating priorities – for her and her family. I felt good about my contribution to the table!
A sage woman at our table, an existing senior executive, paused and patiently said “no, that was the wrong response.” She was very respectful of me I might add. The lesson I learned from her has never left me. It is a story I share frequently.
This sage senior executive went on to explain that the time for this woman to share her vision with her husband, discuss the impact on their family, and negotiate the necessary buy-in was years ago. The woman in our use case knew she wanted a C-Suite position. Therefore, she had strategically selected positions in the meantime while navigating her way to manifesting her dream job.
You too have a vision to lead at the top of your game, run the company, start the business, become an international speaker, launch a movement, or grow a ministry. As you are forging your path forward, start having the essential conversations now with your family about the level of commitment, negotiating the sacrifices, planning for the investment costs, evaluating the partnerships and the collaboration necessary to manifest your dream.
Between the last thing and the next thing make sure what you’re doing in the meantime prepares you to say YES when it’s time.