Shift From Time Optimism to Realistic Optimism for Ambiguous Leadership

Key Quotes

"We are meeting because there are some goals we have as a team that cannot be accomplished in a single year or a single semester they are going to take years of effort and work they're also going to take multiple collaborators our team cannot do it alone so we're relying on so many partnerships and collaborations and so that is a lot to keep track of and also to know what is the right pace you know what is the right amount to get done in one year toward a goal that i mean i can set a timeframe on it and say we want to have this done in three years but some of it is outside of our control because of all these multiple collaborators and so it's hard to know what is the right pace to do this work what is the right timeline to even project and guess might be the right time to allow us to start to achieve some of these goals and what is the right allotment of my time so this is the first time that i have been in this more strategic role as opposed to just doing and managing and so i'm just still trying to figure out what is the right allotment of my time what is the right timeframe to put on these goals and how do we know if we're measuring progress in the right way these are the questions that i struggle with almost daily"

The leader, Mo, articulates a core challenge: setting and pacing long-term, collaborative goals in a role that requires strategic thinking rather than direct execution. Mo struggles with determining the appropriate pace and timeline for these goals, especially when external collaborators and shifting institutional priorities create uncertainty. This highlights the difficulty of managing complex, multi-year objectives when progress is not solely within one's control.

"I think the question that you asked much earlier in the conversation just made me realize i teach people how to do this every day and yet and yet right if we would only listen to our inner teacher and yet oh it's the challenge that i've been struggling with"

Muriel Wilkins points out Mo's realization that she possesses the knowledge she seeks, as she teaches similar principles to others daily. This quote underscores the common human tendency to externalize solutions or struggle with applying learned principles to one's own situation. Mo's challenge lies in internalizing and acting upon the very strategies she advocates for.

"So what you're struggling with is making a choice right but why is making a choice hard for you i think because there is so much that we could be doing there is so much that we already do and i don't want to stop doing those things but yet i have the appetite for us to do more and i have never a team who i work with i learned a phrase from her that i'm a time optimist she is a time realist it's a being a time realist versus a time optimist i'm a time optimist and so i think that there should be more time to do more and there should be more opportunity to do more as we try to serve our students in the best possible way and a time realist would say you got to make a choice there's only so many things you can do because there isn't enough time so the time optimist that i am doesn't like that answer and doesn't want to hear that answer wants to continue to just push ahead and to try to keep adding more and more which is unrealistic"

Muriel Wilkins identifies Mo's core struggle as making choices due to her "time optimist" perspective, which leads her to believe more can be accomplished than is realistically possible. Mo's desire to do more and her reluctance to stop existing activities create a conflict with the finite nature of time. This highlights the tension between ambition and the practical constraints of resource allocation.

"So the formula you're solving for is what should i be spending my energy on in the next couple of years to ensure that it has impact beyond those years yes so when we frame it that way how does that inform where you should be spending your time does it inform it any differently"

Muriel Wilkins reframes Mo's challenge from "how to pace goals" to "what to prioritize for lasting impact," especially given Mo's finite career timeline. This shift in perspective encourages Mo to focus her energy on activities that will create a residual effect beyond her tenure. The question prompts Mo to consider how this new framing influences her decision-making regarding time and effort allocation.

"I think enough looks like defining success maybe in smaller chunks so that it's easier to know yes this was enough like we we were able to define what success would look like in year one and either we did or we came close i think in a way by making the time frames smaller instead of realizing that the time frame is eight to ten years like figuring out what would success look like in 12 to 24 months what could we call that if we get considered a win if we were able to do x within 12 to 24 months i think that would be more helpful than trying to have this very large goal that has a very long time frame because it's hard to know within a shorter time frame was it enough did we get anything done if you're constantly looking out so far ahead"

Mo articulates a breakthrough in defining "enough" by suggesting success should be measured in smaller, more manageable chunks rather than a distant, overarching goal. By breaking down long-term objectives into 12-24 month milestones, Mo believes it will be easier to assess progress and determine if sufficient effort has been made. This approach aims to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by the vastness of the ultimate goal.