The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite all time movies. I have used examples from The Wizard of Oz when I speak to groups for over 20 years. It is one of the greatest leadership movies ever. I won’t go through all of the different examples today, but what I did want to point out is something that I just happened to notice the last time I watch it.

When Dorothy and her friends are nearing the end of their journey to see the wizard, they run through the poppy flowers that have been poisoned by the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy and her friends come to the poppies and they can see their destination (the castle). They believe their journey is almost complete. Because the end is in site they get off of their path (the yellow brick road) and take a short cut through the poppies which puts half of them to sleep.

How often do we get off track in our lives? We stray from our plan and it usually ends up bad. Organizations spend thousands of dollars and a lot of time on their yearly plans, yet they struggle executing the plan because they do not stick to it. Dorothy had a clear plan to get home. She would go see the wizard and to get there she only had to follow the yellow brick road. Not following her plan was Dorothy’s road block. Allowing herself to take a shortcut got her even further from accomplishing her goal.

Have you stayed on track in 2015? It is now more than halfway over and the end is in sight (just as it was for Dorothy). Don’t be tempted to take a shortcut now. Don’t cut through the poppies or you could find yourself asleep through the rest of this year when there is more work to be done. Stick to your plan. Stay on your path. Follow your own yellow brick road and you will achieve your goals. 

Remember that success is not a destination, it is a journey. That journey never really ends. It must be lived out every day.