Most projects don’t fail because people don’t care.
They fail because people never agreed on what success looked like.
A lot of conversations.
Too little communication.
That’s where leadership comes in.
Last week, I shared our 7 Habits of Project Leaders worksheet — and the first habit is this:
Great leaders initiate with clarity.
Every kickoff.
Every proposal.
Every meeting.
Every conversation.
They ask:
Why does this project exist?
What is the desired outcome?
How will we know when we’ve succeeded?
We often assume understanding just because we’ve read the scope of work, reviewed the drawings, or signed the contract.
But interpretation lives in the gaps — and that’s where leadership is most needed.
In the Army, we called it the Commanders Intent made up of purpose and end state.
The commander’s intent is a concise statement that defines the overall purpose and desired end state of an operation, while the end state describes the desired future conditions after the operation is complete.
In engineering and construction, we might call it “x % deliverable” or “bid ready docs” or “substantial completion” or “turnover” …whatever it is, simply it’s clarity about what “done looks like”.
Whether in military, construction business or even personal goals, we need leaders (you!) to bridge vision to execution — to define what done looks like.
Simple, not easy.
Agendas compete. Business outcomes and P&L pressure may compete with the clients needs. End user may and stakeholder desires may compete with budget or schedule realities. Last week, I heard about a university that bought a campus …and the ensuing “$hit show” – their description – of what they navigated.
leadership isn’t easy. It’s why we are hired…to initiate with clarity and navigate with calm…to hold ourselves and the team accountable.
We bring wisdom and discernment to an otherwise emotional set of competing stakeholders, agendas and priorities.
This week on the podcast, I spoke with Dr. John Abraham — a professor, inventor, and energy entrepreneur — who reminded me that in today’s world, information is everywhere, but wisdom is rare.
Leadership is critical because we’re moving from the age of knowledge work to the age of wisdom work.
And wisdom?
It’s about trade-offs.
It’s about connecting dots, practicing discernment, and driving clarity.
And it always starts by asking better questions.
So before you move your next task, project or goal forward, pause and ask:
“How are we defining success?”
Make it a great weekend!
BJ
P.S. A quick note from MCFA:
At MCFA, we’re in the business of project leadership — and great project leadership starts with great problem definition, followed by disciplined project development and planning.
If you’re standing at the starting line of a complex initiative, a capital investment, or a community-changing project, MCFA can help.
Let’s hop on a call and align your vision to action — with clarity, energy, and momentum.
