(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, cause success to come to you easier and quicker.)
Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it?


Structure seems rigid. Flexible doesn’t. Yet, they support each other.

Highly successful people establish structures that support their desired outcomes. A structure simplifies things. There is no need to make constant and repeated decisions. Things can be on a kind of autopilot. A well-organized structure boosts ease and efficiency.

And, within that structure, there is room for flexibility. Room to respond to opportunities. Within the guardrails of the structure. In fact, a hallmark of a successful structure is the space within to be flexible.

Think of an infant’s playpen. The structure provides a safe environment. Within which the child has the flexibility to play, explore, and try new things. To discover their emerging world. Flexible structures can be that in your life, business, education, and relationships. All the important areas of your life.

J. Robert Oppenheimer once said, “It is what you think and want and treasure and foster in times of preparation that determines what you do in the pinch.”

The secret sauce is the planning you go through to define and set up a flexible structure. And one that is well set up allows you to respond to changing conditions rather than have to react to them.


Coaching Point: What is one flexible structure you have set up in the past?


Copyright 2025 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.