6  Harnessing the Relentless Movement of Time

OUTLINE STAGE

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  1. Opening: The Inexorable Clock (2 pages)
    • Time is relentless — it never stops moving forward.
    • Six months will pass whether you improve or stagnate.
    • Leaders must harness time by threading strategic progress into tactical delivery.
    • Introduce the two horizons framework: managing “now” and “next” simultaneously.
  2. The Fallacy of Rewrites vs. The Garden of Incremental Improvement (3 pages)
    • Why complete rewrites have low probability of success.
    • The gardening metaphor: always leave something better than you found it.
    • Small, consistent improvements compound over time like interest.
    • Contrast: leaders who wait for “room to act” vs. those who weave progress into existing work.
  3. The Two Horizons: Now and Next (3-4 pages)
    • The Now: Tactical reality — firefighting, delivery pressures, stakeholder optics.
    • The Six-Month Future: Strategic trajectory — where the organization needs to be heading.
    • The bifurcated mind: holding both realities without letting them disconnect.
    • Example: shipping a product update that also advances architecture.
  4. The Unification Problem: Threading Strategy Through Tactics (3-4 pages)
    • Hardest leadership skill: ensuring today’s work builds tomorrow’s position.
    • How to embed strategic bets into operational delivery.
    • Leaders must constantly test: does this tactical win advance our strategic direction?
    • Practical strategies for incremental changes that accumulate into transformation.
  5. The Cost of Disconnection (2-3 pages)
    • Over-index on firefighting → organizational stagnation despite busy work.
    • Over-index on future planning → disconnected strategy with no credibility.
    • Time compounds in both directions: improvement or entropy.
    • The probability argument: small increments have higher success rates than big bets.
  6. CEO Call-out: Demanding the Thread (1 page)
    • CEOs: if your CTO can’t show how today’s delivery connects to the six-month horizon, you’re drifting.
    • Look for leaders who can articulate both tactical wins and strategic progress.
    • The difference between managing throughput and leading transformation.
  7. Embracing Time as Your Greatest Ally (2 pages)
    • Time will pass regardless — the choice is how to use it.
    • The power of persistence and cumulative impact of small improvements.
    • Cultivating organizational culture that values adaptability and thoughtful progress.
    • The two horizons aren’t a burden — they’re the fundamental job of technical leadership.