THURSDAY, MAY 01, 2014

The Eiffel Tower is a visible, lasting statement made with style and grace. It continues to stand the test of time.

In our "now" focused world it feels counter culture to think, plan and act for the long term, as Gustave Eiffel did when designing the Eiffel Tower (and the Statue of Libery, as well). Yet, the Eiffel Tower stands with evidence from my own journey to show that being in it for the long haul can pay big benefits.

My personal journey has been marked by growth and cascading benefits from making and acting on long term commitments. Consider two threads:

Athlete. I finished last in my first high school cross country meet. But I improved and developed a love of running and racing. I kept running.

In my 30s as a masters short track speedskater. I relished the training and competition. I did not rank high but competed in national championships and chaperoned at the U.S. Olympic Team development camp, where my daughter was training, and with her was coached by Olympic medalists.

For several decades, guided by top coaches including an Olympian, I have competed in 100s of running races and triathlons, including 41 marathons and 10 Ironman races. Medals, trophies and plaques attest to the races I have placed in and even won my age group. More important are the inspriring friends and wonderful experiences I have accumulated in North America and abroad.

Going from last place to medal stand has inspired me to seek previously unimaginable results in other parts of my life by "going long," setting a plan and acting on it over time.

Professional. In my career, my involvement with strategy has grown, as has my concern about the lack of planning and poor implementation in many organizations.

In 2008, I decided to address this strategy gap. I created and set in motion a plan to focus on strategy development and implementation and reopen my consulting firm.

For Forrest Consulting, this led to a new vision, "Every organization has a current strategic plan and is acting on it for greater success"; building out our Fast Track Strategic Planning System; and recruiting other professionals and subject matter experts as "associates," on call to meet client needs as they arise.

For me, it meant joining the Association for Strategic Planning and the International Association of Facilitators, earning the Strategic Management Professional certification, being active on ASP's Chicago Chapter Board, joining ASP's international board, and serving as ASP vice president and now president-elect.

"Going long" on my strategy journey has brought new opportunities to drive Forrest Consulting's vision. I have written a book on the value of strategic planning, helped interesting clients develop and implement strategy, and forged relationships with "bright lights" in strategy and facilitation.

I invite you to think about the benefits of going long, organizationally, professionally and personally. Unless your profession is social media or television, you may miss some tweets and cable shows. But very likely the big things and lasting value you can create through long term planning and consistent implementation will far surpass what you will forego.