I used to play the cello. I guess. Sort of. I say sheepishly.

When I listen to something like this, all I can say is I have a cello, and I wish I could play like this:

So why can’t I? I love the cello. I love the way it sounds. I’ve played it enough to believe I could play well, even if not by this standard. So why can’t I?

• Did I want it really badly, at least compared to other things?
• Did I have any realistic sense of the steps I needed to take to get that good?
• Did I have a teacher who not only helped me make progress, but also helped me see and understand my progress, really see and appreciate the importance of my incremental improvement?
• Did I see learning to play as a compelling, enjoyable activity? Or did I see it as a nearly insurmountable, time-consuming chore?

I guess not. No. No. The latter.

In other words, being an awe-inspiring cellist was just a pretty idea. Most of us have lots of pretty ideas over the course of our lives.

Most businesses do as well. Teams of smart, well-meaning people assemble pretty visions and exciting strategies. Thick plans follow. But not much else. At least, not much meaningful change in daily efforts throughout the organization!

More often than not, the individuals who must do something differently, if different things are to be accomplished, are too much like a cellist wannabe.

They don’t want to change that badly and may not understand why it is important. They don’t know with sufficient specificity what they need to do differently, including what they need to stop doing. They don’t have the support, including the time, to make the necessary changes. Nor are they often able to see progress and, thus, gain momentum and enthusiasm from incremental success. Furthermore, the changes may have thrown new tasks and responsibilities their way that simply don’t align with their skills and interests.

So they keep doing what they’ve always done. At least mostly. They think about their jobs in the same old ways.

Meanwhile, the executives are dismayed and irritated. What happened to their pretty idea?