The Challenge of Establishing a Coherent and Plausible North Star

Establishing a coherent and plausible north star is essential for guiding organizational direction, but it's challenging to create one that is both feasible and beneficial. An ineffective north star can lead to a lack of coordination, making it difficult for bottom-up initiatives to enact change. Official plans that lack credibility can be even worse than having no plan at all, hindering the ability to reconfigure and undertake local experiments. While a north star is necessary for coordination and achieving better outcomes, it doesn't have to be excessively planned. However, creating a truly good and workable north star is a rare achievement, as it's not intuitive and entails making constraints legible to many. Without a feasible path to the north star, organizations risk designing impractical solutions, while solely exploring the adjacent possible can result in aimless direction. A balance between the two is essential for success.