Two men—one old, one young, both reading newspapers—were sharing a park bench on a lovely afternoon. The younger man asked his seatmate for the time, but the old man said, “No,” and went back to reading his newspaper. The young man asked, “I’m sorry, have I offended you in some way?”

The old man said pleasantly, “No, not at all.”

After a confused moment, the younger man asked, “So why won’t you tell me the time?”

The old man put down his newspaper. He looked at the young man and said, “When you first sat down here, I could see you’re a nice-looking, well-groomed young man. You were reading a paper, so I could see you’re intelligent and engaged.

“When you asked me the time, I could see it leading to a conversation, after which we’d become friends. And I’d invite you to dinner with my family, where you’d meet my beautiful, intelligent daughter, and you’d certainly hit it off with her and begin dating, then fall in love with her and propose. And there’s no way I’m letting my precious daughter marry the kind of man who doesn’t wear a watch.”

It’s a funny story, but the message is a serious one: The best leaders don’t just make plans; they think about the decisions they make today and how they will affect them in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

 …