Within Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” he highlights that between stimulus and response there is a gap within which we have the opportunity to choose. Recognising the gap and taking time to consider response options and implications makes sense. However, there is an associated question – how much time is it reasonable to take between stimulus and response?

Clearly the answer to the above is that it depends upon circumstances. However, in our digital world where new information, data and news flows continuously, it seems to me that the acceptable gap between stimulus and response is shrinking.

Whilst there is little doubt that the rate of change in how we live is accelerating, and therefore that the shelf life of most strategies is reducing, there is a significant risk that the likelihood of achieving an intended outcome will be de-railed as a result of over-steering i.e. reducing strategy implementation to a series of tactical responses that over-react to circumstances as they arise.

Effective strategy implementation demands that impact is monitored over time. If drift from expected performance is identified, it is important to take time to explore and identify its cause, and to carefully design appropriate remedial measures before implementation. Effective use of the gap requires that sufficient (statistically valid) data is gathered and analysed, which often requires a greater period of time than is allowed by those clamouring for a response. In high impact areas where getting it right is more important than doing it fast, it is critical that leadership has the bravery to maintain the direction of travel until the evidence is sufficiently robust to suggest that a correction is appropriate. The alternative is to crash or at best emerge a long way from the intended destination.