The Maintenance Paradox

Maintenance never makes sense in the short term, yet it is indispensable in the long term.

2024-12-01 by Luca Dellanna

#wisdom#Winning Long-Term Games

Most machines, including cars and the human body, require periodic maintenance and rest.

It never feels like a good time to perform maintenance, as there is always something more productive to do instead. Yet, you will not go far without it: eventually, your machine will break.

Principle

Maintenance never makes sense in the short term, yet it is indispensable in the long term.

Plenty of activities share this characteristic: working out, spending time with your loved ones, training employees, building a solid organizational culture, and managing risks are all activities that seem unnecessary in the short term yet are indispensable in the long term.

The root cause of the Maintenance Paradox is the deep-rooted belief that if we get the most out of each day, we will also make the most of the year.

But it just doesn’t work this way. Some actions, such as performing maintenance, have benefits that are only visible in the long term and, thus, are unaccounted for by short-term evaluations.

Principle

Short-term evaluations lead to suboptimal long-term choices.

Example: Why Managers Plateau

The Maintenance Paradox is a common root cause of why brilliant managers sometimes fail to have a brilliant career.

Managers constantly face high demands for their team’s output. So, it always feels like there’s no time for training. But unless they find the time to train their people, the situation will not improve. It actually gets worse over time as the work to be done outgrows their team’s capabilities.

The solution is to switch from short-term to long-term evaluations and realize that training is not only necessary but also makes the future easier, as people will be more efficient and effective.

Only managers who can shift from short- to long-term evaluations reliably succeed over the long term.

If your time horizon is short, you will be limited in what you can achieve.

Summary

Improving skills, working out, resting, strengthening relationships, performing maintenance, managing risks, and taking a step back to consider the broader picture are all activities that seem like a waste of time in the short term yet are indispensable in the long term.

If you use only short-term evaluations to decide how to spend your time, you will make suboptimal choices and plateau.

Instead, use long-term evaluations. This doesn’t mean you should never take any short-term action; it means to take a mix of short- and long-term actions as optimal to sustain success over the long term.

Winning Long-Term Games

Reproducible success strategies to achieve your long-term goals

Cover of Winning Long-Term Games

Some reviews

5 out of 5 stars

"Luca's approach to risk management is novel and applicable to one's personal life beyond work. He is changing companies and lives with his ground-breaking approach. With him risk management is a tool to grow faster, not some non-value-adding bureaucracy."

Avatar of Iñigo Alonso

Iñigo Alonso

Program Manager, Medtronic

5 out of 5 stars

"Gem upon gem of insight [...] a must-read [...] for all those who plan on being successful and who take the goal of achieving that success with the deadly, focused, and unwavering seriousness it deserves."

Avatar of Guy Spier

Guy Spier

Founder, Aquamarine Fund

5 out of 5 stars

"I like everything Luca has written, and this book exceeded my already high expectations. Can't wait to read it again tonight. It's that good."

Avatar of Scott Mitchell

Scott Mitchell

CEO, OCEG

5 out of 5 stars

"I learned very much from it! Luca's books have my highest highlight density."

Avatar of Lance Johnson

Lance Johnson

CEO, Whiteboard Geeks

5 out of 5 stars

"One of the best strategy guides I've read for being a solopreneur or generally self-employed person […] Thought-provoking."

Avatar of Paul Millerd

Paul Millerd

Author

5 out of 5 stars

"A sharp, no-nonsense guide that slices through the fluff most success books are padded with. This book doesn't sell dreams. It hands you systems that are reproducible, reliable, and refreshingly sane Highly recommended for entrepreneurs riding the chaos or professionals plotting their next pivot, or even investors trying not to outsmart themselves! It offers mental models one can actually use, especially if they are tired of sprinting in circles and finally ready to play a smarter, longer game."

Avatar of Haaren Sanghvi

Haaren Sanghvi

CEO, HSAG

5 out of 5 stars

"Very clear and compelling writing, which helped me develop and extend my mindset when it comes to stitching together the short-term games knowing that it's this practice that will lead to winning long-term games even if it doesn't feel like winning for a while."

Avatar of Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford

Founder, 9others

5 out of 5 stars

"Luca provides very concrete examples with the concepts and frameworks he brings forward. Just like he helped me understand how antifragility can be cultivated in individuals and organisations, playing the long game gets real for me as I make plans and decisions."

Avatar of Maryse Lepage

Maryse Lepage

Executive coach, ex-Shopify

5 out of 5 stars

"This densely packed gem of a book is one of the best I've ever read. [...] This book spells out important points more succinctly and successfully than anything else I’ve read. I really can’t recommend it enough. It is the rare type of book I expect to read and reread over and over again throughout the rest of my life."

Avatar of Mike & Jennifer Rivers

Mike & Jennifer Rivers

Similar posts you might like

I will add more posts soon (subscribe to my newsletter to be notified).

Click here to view all of my posts.