The other day, I was doing some landscaping at home. Specifically, I was moving a huge number of rocks off our driveway and realigning them so water would drain and hence we wouldn’t need to hike through mud on our way to the car. The joys of country living, huh?
I spent a good half-day shifting rocks, and as I did, it occurred to me that while moving big rocks is tough on the back, it’s the little rocks that are truly annoying. When you’re dealing with countless small rocks, it feels like you never actually make progress; it’s just a constant, frustrating struggle. Every time I thought I had cleared an area, I’d look up and realise I was barely ahead of where I started. It felt endless.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about shifting rocks in another context – that of organisational leadership. This big rock/small rock metaphor holds true for a few organisations I’m involved with. I won’t go into the specifics of these organizations because, really, it doesn’t matter. This anecdote applies across the board.
I’ve noticed a common pattern within these groups. There’s always a tendency for people to get fixated on the tiniest details. They want to address every possible issue, scrutinize every angle, and make sure every last concern, no matter how small, is thoroughly debated. Of course, attention to detail has its place, but when taken to the extreme, it can become counterproductive. It reminds me of trying to move all those tiny rocks, spending immense effort without actually achieving much.
To me, this approach is like rearranging deck chairs while the Titanic is sinking. It might feel productive at the moment, but in reality, these efforts aren’t making a significant impact. While people painstakingly move piles of tiny rocks, the big, crucial rocks that truly need to be shifted remain untouched.
Of course, I’m not really talking about rocks. I’m talking about strategy, the balance between sticking to an overarching plan and remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. It’s something I think about a lot in my own business.
Despite what I say, I have a tendency to chase shiny new things, the exciting opportunity of the day, the next big idea. It’s easy to get caught up in what’s urgent rather than what’s important. But since taking over again and running our own business, I’ve worked hard to focus on the big rocks. That doesn’t mean we’ve stopped being agile. It just means that every reaction and every adjustment happens within the context of a larger strategy.
To go back to the rock analogy, the goal isn’t just to move some rocks around. It’s to create a meaningful outcome. The real challenge is making sure we’re prioritizing the right work. The big rocks, the major strategic decisions and foundational elements, must come first. If we spend all our time fussing over the little rocks, we risk exhausting ourselves while failing to make real progress.
This issue isn’t just about organizations losing focus. It’s also about leadership and the role of managers in guiding their teams effectively.
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is micromanaging, getting too caught up in the small rocks instead of setting a clear path for the team to follow. I’ve seen it in businesses, nonprofits, and community groups alike. Leaders feel the need to be involved in every little decision, they can’t let go of control, and they mistake busyness for productivity.
Micromanagement doesn’t just slow things down, it actively hurts the organization. It creates a culture where people hesitate to take initiative, where innovation is stifled, and where employees or volunteers feel like they’re constantly under a microscope. Instead of focusing on their actual work, they’re too busy navigating unnecessary oversight.
As leaders, our job isn’t to make every single decision or oversee every minor detail. Our job is to set the right framework, make high-level strategic choices, and empower our teams to handle the specifics. When we focus on the big picture, on the big rocks, we ensure that our organizations move in the right direction.
This is why strategy matters so much. Without a strong, clearly defined strategy, people default to focusing on what’s right in front of them, the little rocks. They may feel like they’re working hard, but without a guiding direction, that effort doesn’t necessarily lead to meaningful results.
A strong strategy helps everyone understand the priorities. It ensures that the team isn’t wasting time on distractions but is instead focused on work that actually moves the needle. It also provides a sense of purpose. When people understand why they’re doing something, not just what they’re doing, they’re more engaged, motivated, and aligned with the organization’s goals.
But strategy isn’t just about having a vision. It’s about communicating that vision effectively. Leaders need to make sure their teams and stakeholders are under no illusions about exactly what the organization does and, just as importantly, what it doesn’t do. Clarity is crucial. If the strategy is vague or poorly articulated, people will fill in the gaps themselves, often in ways that aren’t helpful.
This is why leadership isn’t about controlling every aspect of an organization. It’s about making the big decisions that shape its direction. It’s about recognizing when to step back and let others take ownership of their work. It’s about trusting the people around you to handle the small rocks while you focus on the big ones.
At the end of the day, leadership is about impact. It’s not about how busy we appear, how many tasks we check off, or how involved we are in every decision. It’s about whether we’re actually making progress toward meaningful goals.
If we spend all our time moving little rocks, we’ll wear ourselves out without getting anywhere. But if we focus on the big rocks, the major strategic priorities, we can create real, lasting change.
I finally shifted all the rocks, and our driveway is looking better. Fortunately, I had a pretty clear objective when I started working…
