Are You On Your Path Of Least Resistance?
Don't look elsewhere when your natural path is waiting for you
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In This Edition - What Is Your Path Of Least Resistance?
Leaders often set objectives by looking at what was done in the past and then extrapolating it into the future.
To me this is a starting point, not an ending point.
They need to ask deeper questions that uncover the right blend of competitive uniqueness, market opportunity, available resources, talents, and time.
Leaders need to find their company’s unique path to future success - its path of least resistance.
Nature understands the path of least resistance. This week I had the pleasure of vacationing in Utah’s Zion National Park (which I highly recommend). While sitting on a rock along the edge of a river I watched a leaf float down the stream. There was no struggle. The leaf simply floated on the surface of the water, following the river flow. It was peaceful to watch and reminded me of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. The leaf had its place in the river flow and instead of trying to fight the flow, it danced along with the river. If you have ever tried to swim against a flowing river you know how hard that is and, in the end, you still moved along with the river. We often do this in our own lives, somehow believing we can force the flow of life to our will, only to find ourselves back where we started.
Created by Ed Paulson using Copilot in Windows.
Electrons understand the path of least resistance. When electrons move from one place to another, they always choose the path that offers them the least amount of struggle as they move toward their destination. This is why a lightning rod works so well. The lightning could hit the building, but the lightning rod with a large wire connecting it to the ground offers the electrons a tastier path of less resistance, so the electrons bypass the building.
Why bring this up? Choosing the path of least resistance seems to be in the water (pun intended) of my life lately.
You may recall from a few weeks ago that I am an active stock investor who continually looks for ways to refine my stock trading approach. An educational video turned me onto a book published over a century ago about Jesse Livermore titled Reminiscences of a Stock Operator. It was originally published in the 1920s and Livermore, it turns out, was a pretty big deal in his day and what the book offers is still applicable today.
In one portion of the book, Livermore talked about stocks having personalities, and just as with personalities, stocks were more likely to do one thing instead of another. He took the time to get to know a stock and then looked for its “path of least resistance.” Was the stock at the current time more prone to move up, move down, or move sideways?
He wasn’t talking about what he thought it “should” do but what it is “most likely” to do based on the actual movement of the stock price. Not his belief, but real price action. His contention was that this way of thinking moved investing from hope to more of an analytic process grounded in objective reality.
Strategic planning seems to me to be a formalized process for finding an organization’s path of least resistance. Based on an objective evaluation of your company, what is your organization better at doing than others? How is your organization positioned in the marketplace? Who are the folks most likely to use your products or services? What is your competitive advantage? How does all of this come together to present the optimal path forward for your organization? I am not talking about the company dialog we tell ourselves (the internal advertising) but the objective reality we observe around us.
The answers to these questions help leaders determine the best way to allocate resources so that the organization moves along the path most likely to not only ensure its survival but to grow! The “best” path is the one of least resistance for that organization, in their market, at that time. Just as the leaf follows the flow of the river along its path, an organization that follows its “right” path will gain market share, obtain resources, technologically evolve, and remain current in its industry. To me this makes common sense. Everyone wins when the right products or services are offered by the right company, to the right customers, at the right time, and to make this happen requires insight and work often that starts years in advance. Thus, the need for planning.
It is always easier to ride the river in the direction it is flowing. Finding the direction of the flow is a critical early step that is a combination of art, science, and honest introspection.
Image of “the path of least resistance” created by Ed Paulson using Copilot in Windows.
I want to be clear about something. I am not advocating laziness! If you have ever been shocked by electricity you know that there is nothing lazy about an electron moving along its path of least resistance.
I am, however, advocating that you take the time to determine if the path you are choosing to follow is not simply the most visible one, but the one most likely to get you where you want to go with the least amount of resistance. Should you realize that the path of least resistance requires some type of personal or organizational transformation, then buckle up and get working. Sure, the path of least resistance may be hard to follow at first, but it will certainly be easier than another path that initially seemed simpler but eventually led to more painful struggles as the future flowed against you.
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Just a thought on the Path of Least Resistance, Ed. We all seek it because it makes sense. It's like a train staying on the tracks - it moves a lot easier and faster than a derailed train.
In my profession as a counselor, I spend a lot of time helping people to learn to avoid the paths of least resistance in their lives. Usually they are taking the easy way, without looking at the long-term consequences. It is a difficult journey to change the path of least resistance, but sometimes short-term pain leads to long-term gain. It is counterintuitive to sign up for short-term pain when there is an easier tried-and-tested path of least resistance.
Of course, I realize the business world and stock market operate in a different model than behavioral health. Otherwise... my stock portfolio would be worth a heck-of-a-lot more than it is! :)
Have a great day and keep up your terrific writing. I always enjoy your substack.