Why is it that plans can, sometimes even need to change over time? At the same time: Should guiding principles be designed to live long term and to be resistant to short term change? To both questions my answer is a firm yes. Here's why:
The principle of the benefit of long lasting habits is one that fascinated me early on. The imagination that any person can improve to levels beyond their own imagination by merely sticking to a habit over a long period still strikes me. One of my oldest habits is sports. I started swimming as a member of a club -and later also as one of a competitive team- as a young teenager and have stuck to some kind of sports habit ever since. When I started first I went to training sessions twice a week. At my peak I did six to eight training sessions a week and most of my school holidays were spent either on training camps or competitions. So my first serious habit was established during those early years. After school I was not always able to swim due to restrictions. I kept the principle of training regularly but changed the plan: instead of swimming I started running and going to the gym, whatever was possible. Later at the university I was able to start triathlon. Again I kept the principle of regular training but completely changed the plan: the equipment and the schedules of runners and triathletes are galaxies apart.
Pragmatists and Dogmatists
At work I sometimes have the impression of facing two types of people: the pragmatists and the dogmatists. Pragmatic people are practical people. They are usually the ones more open to changing environments and more comfortable with changes of plans. Sometimes however, I miss the guiding principles with these people. Often they seem to strive for a maximum of flexibility and regard it as a virtue that comes at the cost of guiding principles. Principles are often regarded as unnecessary limiting factors and thus are not on the priority list of pragmatic people. "We don't really plan because we work agile." is a statement I have often heard pragmatic people say. Dogmatists on the other hand often have strong confidence in plans and rules. I find that dogmatic people almost always have firm, long lasting guiding principles. The typical dogmatic person can easily name sources and even cite quotes from some rulebook, contract or other binding document that sometimes seems to serve as some kind of 'divine manual to master the future'. The requirement for changes usually don't originate from dogmatists. Any change of plans, sometimes even tiny adaptations, can derail these types and I have already witnessed total meltdown of dogmatic people in meetings. Whoever had to go through severe changes and is sufficiently self aware during the four phases (ignorance, shock, acceptance, performance), will know and remember his or her own dogmatic part.
Pick Your Cherries
In life the sprinters never win. Life is a marathon. To prepare for a marathon you have to have a plan. However great, this plan may not survive your first week into the preparation. What do you do then? Do you stick with a plan you know might not work or do you change your plan? Of course you try to create a new plan that you trust will work for you. After a few cycles of changes to your plan, you might ask yourself: What is more important: to enjoy running, even if I cannot finish a marathon as fast or as easily as planned? Or do you force yourself to stick to your schedule even if you know it is going to be a grind and regardless of risks to your health? Or maybe even stop running altogether? Well, this is the point in time, when a guiding principle comes in handy: Why the hell are you running? Why do you want to finish that marathon? What is really the purpose you are committed to? Once you know your answers to these questions, I'm sure planning and training for your personal marathon will make much more sense to you. Also your adaptations are going to become way easier, regardless whether you're more of a pragmatic or a dogmatic person. The thing I want to say is: pick the best of your pragmatic and your dogmatic part. Play the game regardless of the odds and create a good set of rules for your own game. If you don't do that, others might do it for you.
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