A riddle that I recently was told (again). I know I’ve heard this before, but couldn’t remember where/when. If anybody knows the original source, please let me know.
The riddle:
Five frogs are sitting on a log. One decides to jump off. How many frogs are left on the log?
The answer is five. Deciding to jump off is not the same as jumping off, so all five are still on the log.
This is an especially appropriate riddle for a planning consultant. The best made plans are meaningless unless there is a commitment to action and an ability to hold people accountable to follow through on their decisions.
As a practical matter, that means decisions shouldn’t be considered “done” until it’s very clear who will take action and by when.