Well I think it is a very fine balance between planning (deliberate),instinct (in-the-moment) and experience (the past). Malcolm Caldwell the author of "Blink" discusses this very point and highlights that "less can be more". I think that deliberate planning is to put us all at ease with facts/figures of any given situation, however situations are constantly changing on a by-second basis - they may be minute shifts but over time and added up they become quite major shifts. This is why it is also important to be courageous enough to use your gut instinct into the planning mix - and of course your past experience... So my conclusion is - PLANNING (THE FRUIT PIE) is helpful and important - even if it is just the process of going through it - what adds the cherry and cream on the top are INSTINCT and EXPERIENCE...

The thing about plans is that we draft a plan with whatever information we have at the time for the purpose of enabling completion of a project. If enough cicumstances change between initiation and completion, we have to adapt the plan, or it could potentially ruin the project. Sometimes we get so caught up with our plans, that we miss the forest for the trees. Kind of like technology - it's supposed to enable us to do our work more efficiently, but we grow so dependent on our devices that when they're down, we're at a stand still. many people feel lost when a wrench is thrown in the spokes of their plan - talk about self-defeating. I guess my slightly convoluted point is that we must all learn to be flexible or risk fracture.

True, but don't worry, it doesn't matter! Really!

My view is sometimes it's more about the experience rather than the result - and in the end you will be the winner!!! It makes you question things more, and through this experience you grow (and the others don't!!) ... David, you can sit back with a smug smile on your face and be safe in the knowledge that what goes around comes around. I think we've all had those un-fair frustrating moments where even if you parted the seas it still wouldn't be good enuff. The only way out is through, suck-up the frustration and breath out the love...or then again you could just do an act of defiance ; )

...So in otherwords you are saying, if you "go the extra mile..pull out all the stops" success comes to those who prepare well and put in effort, never taking things for granted. I think that is a nice idea but what happens if you can't fly? Call me a cynic but I am also sure that if you have lots of money and/or are well connected you will go even further, quicker and with a lie-in! People by people and/or people by into money/fame/people!

There are two types of entitlement: entitlement to what you expect "just because", and entitlement to what you've earned. The former is the excrutiating kind evidenced in shows like Growing Up Gotti and Super Sweet 16 - a feeling that you deserve something based on the work of others, by association or by pure accident of birth. For some of us, witnessing this is far more real than watching it on TV - we work with folks who exhibit this highly annoying trait, or feel this way ourselves. Ultimately, this feeling is generated based on years of conditioning (aka: this attitude has worked in the past). The latter kind is a little trickier. But I think everyone SHOULD feel entitled certain things in the workplace: being treated with the respect they show others, getting recognition for the input they've had on projects, a safe environment, and so on. After all, I'm entitled to a paycheck - and come payday, if a company I work for ever tells me that "nothing is ever for sure", I'm certainly not gonna work harder and hope for better luck next time.

I am of the view that "you get only as much as you deserve". The concept of "I did/ doing" is only a figment of human thinking to either improve or castigate others. Think of it this way, you lead a large successfull project.Tomorrow , youre gone. The project goes on, driven by someone's else's vision. Entitlement...well .. you define it.

I agree about the entitlement of treatment to me that fits the category of what is called in the USA "Truths that are self evident" as in "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal" as written in the Declaration of Independence -- sadly while the sentiment is clear the execution has been and remains spotty -- so yes being treated with respect should be a basic entitlment

Your role may be thankless, but if you're willing to give it your all, you just might bring success to those who outlast you...I guess this is what you are talking about David? True entitlement - I don't think this exists in its purest sense in this world. Not everyone gets to be an astronaut - surviving for many is a battle in itself, whilst sipping champagne is a chore for others. "Birth right" and society determine who is entitled to what. What are your views on this David?