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I was driving in Provo, Utah the other day and saw a hitchhiker near the freeway entrance to I-15 with a sign that said “New York.”

I am sure this individual had good reason to go to New York and I applaud his ambitious plan and vision. There was an obvious flaw, however, in his strategy to get to New York City.

Hitchhiking is one of those activities that require teamwork and cooperation. Without a partner (driver), hitchhiking is really just hiking. So, our hitchhiker's vision needed to be understood by his potential partners.

I doubt any drivers entering I-15 in Provo were on their way to New York City. I doubt many even knew how to drive the 2,193 miles to New York City. So our hitchhiker’s potential partner base was near zero.

Perhaps, if he would have broken down his strategy into steps that his potential partners could understand and clearly see how they could participate in his vision. Maybe he could have invested in three pieces of cardboard to write his destination on (he obviously had one piece and a marker already). He could have written “Salt Lake” or “Denver” then when he found the partner to take him there, try “Chicago”, then “Cleveland.” 

By breaking down the trip into smaller pieces and looking for a partner to a closer destination, he would have substantially increased his potential partner market.

Setting vision is paramount to leadership. Helping constituents, partners and team members understand how to achieve that vision and how their small contribution is critical to the path is even more important. Defining small, incremental milestones lets everyone focus on short-term results that can be understood and rewarded. 

Interestingly, a quick 45 miles to I-80 from Provo and then it is a straight shot 2,150 miles due east to NYC.