Volume XXII, Number 35 (Issue 1091) | August 26, 2024
The Harmony of Goals and Actions
Alexis de Tocqueville spoke to the importance of that simple construct within his ground-breaking work, Democracy in America [1835]. According to de Tocqueville, our founding fathers and the generation that succeeded them may have been unique in their day when it came to understanding and applying that concept. That advance in thinking contributed greatly to the formation, survival, and subsequent expansion of the young republic. When you compare that to the constant upheaval that was occurring in other nations in that era including both France and Mexico, the success of our grand experiment was truly remarkable.
Fast forward one hundred ninety years and it is difficult to imagine anyone in a leadership role who does not appreciate the connection between goals, actions, and achieving a desired outcome. Still, in de Tocqueville’s day the concept was so novel as to have garnered significant attention in the salons (literary discussion groups) of Europe and to a lesser extent of Russia and America.
As Olivier Zunz, one of de Tocqueville’s biographers frames it, when actions are consistent with goals, special things can happen. Conversely, when entities (people, organizations, governments) are constantly being pulled in different directions by competing interests, progress is slow at best.
That is not to say that differing opinions are not beneficial. Debate is needed and should be welcome if we are to establish worthwhile goals as well as create quality solutions. But there comes a time when the debate needs to end so the work can begin. Even quality plans without actions that align with those plans are not worth the paper they are written on – let alone the time spent crafting those plans.
There is one more concept that needs to be introduced as part of this discussion. Morality must be part of the equation. Ends, no matter how worthwhile, cannot justify means if those means require that we stray from the values and behaviors we know to be right. Whether we are talking about major goals or daily objectives, being faithful to one’s values matters.
Soli Deo Gloria
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10
J. Keith Hughey
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E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
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