How One of My Managers Taught Me to Plan Ahead

Build the puzzle, piece by piece, and you might end up with a masterpiece.

Good and great things kept on coming to my manager: successful completion of projects, prizes, awards, invites to be a speaker for professional events, all sorts of achievements. And I kept asking myself: how could someone succeed to do all that concomitantly? Super-powers?

Throw the balls in the air ahead of you; later, throughout your journey, you will collect them one by one, at the right moments.

No super-powers, apparently. Just super-patience, and super-composure. And, sometimes, just regular patience will do. “ Always plan ahead” I was told, “ and think a little bit more about the next step, and dedicate now some effort to make it easier later.”

Cultivate now, and you will harvest later. Whether you are a student, a junior specialist, or a senior manager, always plan ahead. Put some small seeds into the ground — it’s very easy to follow that. Some of them will perish, you’ll lose some others, or will be eaten by the wild birds, but at least a few of them will grow into tall trees with well-developed deep roots or will grow into small, delicate, but extremely colorful and perfumed flowers.

Networking is a kind of activity that has no immediate benefits but can help you in the long run. Silicon Valley companies are giving up present revenue for networking presence.

Build the puzzle, piece by piece, and you might end up with a masterpiece.

Always, plan ahead.