Running Without a Map: Why Change Needs More Than Good Intentions

Introduction

Feedback is a mirror. Over the past two posts, we’ve looked at two ways leaders stumble with feedback: ignoring it altogether (Ignoring the Mirror) and overreacting to every reflection (Trapped in the Mirrors). Both leave you stuck. But there’s a third trap, and it’s sneakier because it feels virtuous: rushing to act on feedback so enthusiastically and so quickly that you move without a plan. In an earlier post I retold a humorous anecdote about trying to navigate a drive home from Seattle when my location services were on the fritz, and the GPS tried to guide me to drive into the Puget Sound. Let’s have a more personal example:

Picture this: it’s dawn, you’re eager, and you set off running full speed—but you’ve forgotten your compass. You may be moving, but you have no idea if you’re moving in the right direction. That’s what happens when you treat feedback as something to fix immediately rather than something to evaluate, prioritize, and plan for. It’s activity without progress, motion without direction.

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The Hidden Trap: Acting Without a Plan

Leaders often feel pressure to show they are “coachable.” When someone offers feedback, the impulse is to prove responsiveness by acting right away. On the surface, that seems admirable. Who doesn’t want a boss who listens and responds?

Colin Powell is quoted as saying that when your people aren’t bringing you concerns, it’s because you’ve lost their trust, not because their silence is a sign of your excellence.

This idea from a generational titan in leadership is enough to inspire folks to sprint headlong into contortions in response to any feedback. Our previous post on trying to respond to all of the signal and noise without evaluating it addressed part of the folly of this approach.

This post is more about responding too fast to legitimate feedback.

The problem is that rushing into change usually backfires. You take on too much, too fast, without considering whether the change is sustainable or aligned with your values and goals. You burn energy making gestures that don’t last. You confuse your team by pivoting too quickly in too many different directions at once. And worse, you lose credibility when changes fizzle out.

Good intentions aren’t a substitute for strategy. Feedback is data, but data only matters when you interpret it, prioritize it, and plan how to act on it.

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The Cost of Planless Action

Acting on feedback without a plan carries its own risks:

• Wasted effort: You make quick adjustments that don’t stick.
• Frustration: Both you and your team tire of changes that come and go.
• Loss of credibility: Followers stop believing in new initiatives when they watch too many sputter out.

In short, planless action leaves you running in circles. It’s not enough to act—you need to act with purpose. You need to ask yourself why you are acting. Is it to be better, or to be liked? We’ll cover that later when we discuss authenticity and humility. For now let’s move to the practical. No matter your motivation, how can you put solid feedback to its best use?

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The Tactical Shift: Plan with Purpose

In my earlier post A Model for Growth and Change, I outlined two frameworks that provide structure for personal and leadership development: the GROW model and SMART goals. Both are critical when it comes to turning feedback into real, sustainable change.

GROW framework:

• Goal – What do I want to achieve based on this feedback?
• Reality – Where am I right now? What’s actually happening?
• Options – What are the different ways I could respond?
• Will/Way – What way do I commit to pursuing, and how do I maintain the will to get there?

Feedback fits perfectly here. You start by setting a specific goal in response to the feedback. You face the reality of your current behavior. You brainstorm options for change. And then, most importantly, you commit to one.

SMART goals:
Feedback often fails to produce growth because the goals we set are vague. “Communicate better.” “Be more approachable.” “Delegate more.” Nice ideas, but not plans. SMART goals turn those vague aspirations into something specific and testable:

• Specific – Clear and concrete.
• Measurable – You can track progress.
• Achievable – Realistic in scope.
• Relevant – Connected to your values and role.
• Time-bound – Anchored with a deadline.

Instead of “I’ll communicate better,” you commit: “For the next 90 days, I’ll hold a weekly 15-minute check-in with each team member.” That’s a SMART goal—clear, measurable, and sustainable.

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Authenticity and Sustainability

Of course, not all feedback should be acted on immediately, or at all. You have to evaluate whether a change can be integrated authentically. Real change isn’t about putting on a costume—it’s about aligning behavior with your values.

Take my own example. I used to wear blunt honesty as a badge of honor. It was a mark of my authenticity and sincerity as a human and a leader. However, the feedback I got was that it often landed as rudeness. That stung. But instead of trying to “be nicer” in some vague way, I reframed the feedback through values I cared about just as much: competence and excellence. My partner reframed it for me: “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be effective?” That question allowed me to soften my delivery without betraying my commitment to honesty. The new habit stuck because, paradoxically, change was authenticity.

When you align feedback with values and plan deliberately, growth becomes sustainable. Change isn’t just a one-time gesture—it’s a longitudinal process.

Check out the math on this: if you improve 1% daily for a year, the compounding growth of daily changes—so small they may not be noticeable at the time—turn into 37X net growth.

Small, deliberate actions compound over time to create immense returns on the investment. That’s how leaders grow.

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Practical Exercise

1. Take three pieces of valid, actionable, desirable feedback you’ve received.
2. Pick one: the most impactful or the easiest to address and get a quick win, or the one that’s most important to you. It doesn’t matter why you prioritize one over the other, just that you do.
3. Run it through the GROW model:
   • Goal: What outcome do I want?
   • Reality: Where am I now?
   • Options: What are the different ways I could do things differently?
   • Will/Way: What way do I choose, and how do I maintain the will to get there?
4. Translate it into a SMART goal.
5. Share the plan with someone you trust and co-create a plan for accountability.

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Closing: Completing the Trilogy

I feel a little like Douglas Adams making a trilogy with 4 posts….

We’ve now explored three traps leaders face with feedback:

• Ignoring the Mirror – blindness.
• Trapped in the Mirrors – distortion.
• Running Without a Map – misdirection.

The common thread is that feedback itself is not the enemy. It’s the catalyst for growth. You might figure it out on your own, but solid feedback can speed up the reaction. Action is the key: what matters most is how you respond. Feedback must be acknowledged, evaluated, filtered, prioritized, and then acted upon with a deliberate plan.

Responding to feedback isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about integrating the insight into a longer journey of growth. Change takes time. It’s longitudinal, cumulative, and deeply connected to values.

Leadership isn’t about chasing reflections or running blind. It’s about charting a course you can walk with clarity, conviction, and authenticity. It’s about leaving the mirror, escaping the funhouse, and picking up the map—because growth is a journey worth navigating with intention.