Steering by the Method
On strategy sans objectives
Usually when we set about to find success or create something of value, we imagine that we should start by defining a desired end state. Ends, after all, provide the motivating force by which to formulate our actions. Starting with a clear goal lends these actions the coherence of intentionality, of a deliberate strategy.
Yet pursuing a strategic objective is not the only form of coherence. Every action may instead flow naturally and deliberately according to an entirely proximate logic, out of which any number of ends emerges. Suppose, for example, that you decide to move to a new city for a job, only to get fired a few months later. Relocating may produce many unforeseen consequences (new friends, partners, or career opportunities, etc.) which dramatically alter the trajectory of your life. Each of these consequences was one you were probably aware could result from your move—but they were hardly the primary driver in your decision-making. Gone now is the reason which justified your choice in the first place, yet the long-term results remain.
No one wants to believe their success is a result of randomness—and some are no doubt savvier strategists than others. Still, it’s a mistake to think that the key lies in merely making a plan and implementing it. There is simply too much we cannot control—too many unforeseen ripples that swell to full-blown waves, carrying us off-course. Ends, viewed in this light, were never more than a helpful illusion: a beacon by which we determined our next step.
Perhaps, then, the real wisdom lies not in “strategic” action (narrowly defined) but in making choices which can plausibly lead to a range of good outcomes. Stated more plainly: Your best long-term strategy is often not “Do X to achieve Y” but instead investing in a set of behaviors or a protocol that reliably yield fruit. This approach—which could fairly be called intuition or pattern-matching—draws on the key insight is that it is the methods themselves, in combination with luck, which yield positive results; and that the blessings of process can persist even when goals change or were hazy to begin with.
Here, as we reach the end, it’s time I let you in on a secret. This post was written with no outline, no real plan or vision. Nevertheless it has a guiding logic: Compose a sentence, look at the final letter, and use that to start the next one.
We think the world is more predictable than it really is. There is still value in planning; but if you attempt to create a light adhesive, for example, you may create Post-its instead. But only if you maintain some flexibility in your thinking.
This creates some thoughts about what one should do in retirement or even defining what 'retirement' means these days!