One question every person in charge should ask
There is not much of a silver lining to the Gulf oil spill, but people in charge – whether entrepreneurs, executives or longtime business owners – can garner valuable wisdom from one of the many mistakes that made the disaster more likely.
Potentially, busy with the severe recession, the financial sector bailout and the fight for a national health care plan, the Obama administration missed at least one ball it should have been keeping in the air: effective regulation of the oil industry in general and of deep-water drilling in particular.
The potent lesson for those of us in charge? There’s a question we should ask ourselves often, and that we should grant ourselves the mental space and creative license to answer: What am I missing?
It’s natural and tempting to get on a track and follow it, or to create a plan and execute it without taking the time and energy to step to the side and take stock – frequently. Are you missing opportunities? Not alert to certain dangers? Letting issues, people, money, or projects slide while you deal with everyday urgencies and tempests in a teapot?
It’s true that people in charge have many of their best ideas while driving, showering or taking a vacation. Extend that freedom of mind into your everyday routine. Assign or put aside routine tasks to facilitate your own creative thinking. Read a business book on a new topic. Ask yourself if there’s anything on your mind that you’re not dealing with (it’s often right there below the surface). Access your right brain.
What am I missing? I’m glad I asked myself. I’ll ask again. And again.
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June 23rd, 2010 at 9:57 am
Excellent insights, Michelle.
We do function in an environment that is very near-sighted, that is, task, goals and metrics oriented with a penchant to instant action and results with little time or value placed on reflective thinking. I often recommend: “Let’s sleep on in” regarding a complex issue or decision. Remarkably, my colleagues have found that just that short time can provide new insights, clarity and a path forward or a solution.
A former boss counseled me to take 30 minutes a day for reflective thinking. Some companies like 3M are famous for institutionalizing this by granting their engineers a portion of their work week to do anything they want. 3M patents and new products speak to not only the value of this, but also the wisdom.
Even a daily challenge your body with physical exercise like a 30 minute walk at lunch time creates the opportunity for your mind to stretch and take new perspectives.
June 23rd, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Jerry, I like the ideas of 30 minutes a day for reflective thinking… do you manage to carve out the time? I also agree that “sleeping on it” can be wise for important decisions – it’s great advice that belongs on my own list of “What am I missing?”
June 24th, 2010 at 10:15 am
I like this article — I’ve spent a lot of time this year putting together professional development materials for youth programs, with a lot of attention to issues that aren’t the pressing issues that demand immediate attention. But I probably don’t do enough of this myself.