If you’re at all familiar with the world of Winnie the Pooh, then you recognize Eeyore. He’s the dull, gray donkey who drains the life out of everyone around him with his negativity. He shuffles along slowly and lethargically, usually with his head down. Eeyore is such a stubborn pessimist that nothing seems to excite him or to make him smile. Quite literally, he’s a jackass.

Unfortunately, Eeyore-like behavior isn’t uncommon in the office. Joseph Folkman and Jack Zenger list “lack energy and enthusiasm” at the top of their list of Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders1. Their list doesn’t come from speculation, either. Folkman and Zenger reached their conclusions after methodically researching the 360° feedback of thousands of underperforming leaders.

Bringing Back the Fun

Other than sleeping more and upping caffeine intake, what can be done to enliven a listless leader? I’d like to suggest that, done well, the strategic planning process has potential to infuse life into a wearied leader or team. By forcing everyone to consider what is and is not important, strategic planning focuses energy and enthusiasm on those aspects of business that make the greatest difference and drive the business results.

We move from stress to distress when we can’t connect our activity to meaning. We’re easily overwhelmed by the tasks in front of us when there’s not clear strategy to help us prioritize our work or identify success. Strategic planning cuts through the clutter, and attunes us to the reason we go to work every day. By giving us a sense of purpose, strategic planning helps us to find fulfillment (and even fun!) in the workplace.

1Folkman, Joseph and Zenger, Jack. “Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders.” Harvard Business Review. June 2009.

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