Get perspective, by stepping away from the immediate!
Don't concentrate so much on details that you forget the important priorities and the overall perspective and purpose for why you are in business. Get an eagle's perspective on the landscape of your organization.
By Lars G. Harrison
We often get so busy with keeping up with the daily e-mail correspondence, reacting to the latest crisis, writing the weekly action registers, sitting in meetings, writing performance reviews and making sure that our work are in tune with metrics, and a whole suite of other duties and responsibilities, that we often lose perspective of the mission and the goals for why we are working in the first place. So, we continue to measure our work with various intangible factors, and thereby fail to realize that once in awhile stepping away from the immediate work piled up high on our desks to concentrate on finding new ways of doing things, is what we should be about. The companies that are expanding the fastest are often the most creative and innovative companies. What strikes me with many of these companies is their great emphasis on being entrepreneurial, creative and innovative. Synergy cannot come from sitting at desks without getting out and to understand what stakeholders and customers want us to do, or what they would only dream we could do. We need to understand why we do what we do in the first place, and what purpose there is for most of the activities we do. More activities are planned, and the cog wheels continue to spin, but we fail to put the gear in. How often do we ask ourselves, "why are we doing this, who will it benefit, should we do this?"
A number of years ago, I was complaining that my life didn't take shape. I worried over many trite and unnecessary issues. I was busy living my life without any clear focus or direction. I had not prepared my goals and mission for life. I wanted so desperately to purchase a ticket to somewhere, by I had no clue as to where I was going. I didn't realize that I needed a swift kick in the rear to propel myself in the right direction. A good friend of mine, an Irish lady, sat me down in her kitchen and gave me a sobering lecture. She took an apple and stuck it into my face and calmly sad, "This is your life?" Get perspective. Well, I got the picture.
It is time to that we step way from our immediate and evaluate where we are and where we want to go. Only then, can we realize what type of work and processes we can eliminate and what we should concentrate on. Change should have more to do with ideas and attitudes, and less to do with economy. An economy is stagnant. But ideas and attitudes make economy. So, next time you feel stuck in the rut and need a boast, get out of the office, walk into the woods (or any where in the nature--or a short walk around the parking lot) and meditate on life's mission and the mission and goals for your company. What is the purpose for being for yourself and the company? What are you becoming? What do you want the world to remember you by? You will become more effective as a leader that way. I also recommend that you do these exercises with your staff. Take the staff out for a walk for a nature hike and discuss purpose, goals and missions. Get into a entrepreneurial, talk about creating new service and products. Set up a tinkering room for everyone. Children are most innovative and creative, because they love to play. Why should we forsake the uninhibited ways of exploring that children are so good at. Become like little children, but forsake childish attitudes and pettiness. Gain perspective by stepping away from the immediate. I'll leave you with this poem I wrote, inspired by my Irish Mom.
In my hand I hold a red shining apple,
To get a better perspective I bring it closer to my eyes,
until it blocks my entire sight.
In my mind's eyes, "I say, why?"
In my life and the perspective of it,
I so often do the same,
"Why, rather but the apple on the table,
so I can see it clearly."--Lars G. Harrison, June 1989
Lars G. Harrison can be reached at lars_harrison@yahoo.com.
Copyright © 1996 Harrison on Leadership. All Rights Reserved.