Are you playing the short game or the long game?

If the goal is short term, then our actions should reflect that. We should push for immediate results and play all the cards we can to encourage quick action from others.

That’s when we call in our favors and apply pressure.

But if we’re willing (and able) to take a longer outlook, then the game changes. We’re then able to focus on things like reputation, relationships, legitimate value creation, and building sustainable processes.

These aren’t the actions that are most likely to drive results tomorrow, but they’ll set us up for long term success.

I generally lean towards the long game. I expect to be around for a long time, I’m sure I’ll cross paths again with various people who I’m dealing with now, and it’s generally more enjoyable for me that way.

That’s not to see there isn’t a time for the short game though. Sometimes circumstances come up that require us to push for short term results.

The only real problem occurs when fail to realize which strategy we’re employing or our actions don’t match our timeline.

-Brandon