Achieving Excellence – Completing the Last Mile

In a long journey, the last mile becomes critical in actually reaching your destination and achieving your goals. Long journeys can be arduous and boring, when short supply of resources like time, food and water can cloud our judgement... even the best are bound to make errors. This can also happen when you are executing mission critical projects or assignments, where all deadlines are being met and yet, at the last 5% of the project, there could be issues which impede you from achieving your goals. This actually  prevents  you  achieving  excellence in your chosen field.

Interestingly, there is a narrative in the Bible of three wise men who made an error of judgement in the last mile of their journey. The wise men of that time, similar to the Subject Matter Expert ( SME) of today, did their research and deep study on their field of expertise. They understood that a King was born, by reading the literature of that time and matching it with the symbols and events. Their study revealed that the prophecy was being fulfilled through a bright star being seen in the East, so they decided to follow this bright star to lead them to their destination. Their purpose was to worship the King who was born at that time.

They had a journey of about 1300 kilometres from Babylon to Bethlehem, had they taken the main trade route. In those days the average speed was 32 kilometres per day by a camel caravan. Therefore the journey would have taken at least about 40 days. They would have taken a small entourage to provide for their needs and the needs of the camels. In essence, there was planning, detailing and providing for resources. They were clear on what was needed and they followed the star in their journey. 

As they came close to their destination, perhaps about the last 10 kilometres, they let their instinct decide, instead of following the star. In their judgement they assumed that the king had to be in a palace. They took their sight away from their source of guidance and instead, relied on their assumption. 

They meet the ruling king at that time and ask him, "Where is he who was born king of the Jews?", which sent alarm bells ringing in the kings mind. An alarm in the kings mind was panic in the hearts of his subjects. This falter turned fatal for scores of children who were below two years, as the king did not want any rival to his throne. I am not sure if these wise men ever learnt of the consequences of their falter.

There are a few learnings for Project Leaders and Business Heads from this little episode. Most professionals  believe they are on the path to excellence.  Having clarity of purpose is not enough, it is important to set the right goal and stay focussed on it.  A review of the goal is important as we reach important milestones. Overconfidence, common assumptions, hearsay could make you falter and deviate from reaching your goal.  Completing the last mile is important to achieve excellence  in your  chosen field. 

It is important to also remember that when one deviates from the goal, there is a price to pay. Unfortunately in this incident a few scores of innocents paid for this falter. Therefore Leadership is a responsibility and as Leaders, we are called to lead wisely.