Are Your People Living Your Organization's Mission?

The preeminent responsibility of leadership in any municipality, governmental agency, industrial company or business organization is to craft a crystal clear vision and mission that is subsequently lived out each and every business day.

 

While your organization’s mission statement may be elegantly framed and bear a prominent placement on a wall in the executive office suite … Do the people in your organization actually understand what the organizational mission is? And do they know how to “live” it out on a daily basis?

 

Simply stated, do they understand their role in the mission and how to implement it?

 

Take a moment to carefully consider the following mission statement from a top Fortune 100 company:

 

Conoco-Phillips (a leading international petroleum company)

 

Mission: “As one of the largest publically held energy companies, our mission is to increase supplies to consumers through actions and investments that simultaneously build value for our shareholders.”

 

If you were an employee of Conoco-Phillips, you would no doubt find yourself hard pressed to understand in your specific job role “how” you personally make a valuable contribution toward the achievement and fulfillment of the company’s mission.

 

More than likely, you are going to have the distinct impression that your job is nothing more than to make money for the shareholders. So much for answering the question of every employee on the payroll… “What’s In It For Me?” (WIIFM)

 

As an employee, you might also be asking what “actions” am I supposed to take?

 

In stark contrast, consider the straight forward mission statement of Liberty Tax Service which is experiencing rapid growth and fully expects to overtake H&R Block as the #1 U.S. tax service by the year 2020.

 

Mission: “Set the standard. Improve every day. Have some fun.”

 

As an employee, understanding how you directly contribute to the fulfillment of the Liberty Tax mission, company success and personal success is fairly easy to grasp:

 

Set the standard. Know what you as an individual employee are capable of doing.

 

Improve every day. Continue to learn and improve, then set your own performance expectations a little higher every day.

 

Have some fun. Enjoy your work and the people that you work with.

 

It is certainly not difficult to understand which organization is going to have happier workers that are more engaged and more productive, while experiencing increased employee loyalty and retention.

 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of organizations worldwide regardless of their business classification or size, invariably craft mission statements that are wordy, vague, complex or overly ingratiating.

 

Of the Fortune Global 100 companies, perhaps the best mission statement of the lot comes from #27 Daimler Benz (Mercedes) which simply states its company mission is “To produce cars and trucks that people want to buy, will enjoy driving and will want to buy again.”

 

If your management team and front line workers are struggling to achieve your organization’s mission and goals, and your organization is experiencing continued employee turnover and lack of employee engagement...

 

Then you may have to look square into the organizational mirror and ask the prerequisite question… Are we merely advertising our mission as a statement or are we “living” it out every business day?

 

If you need assistance in bringing your organization’s vision, mission and people to life, we’re here to help.

Copyright © 2016 Developing Forward Leadership | Thomas H. Swank, CBC

The Greatest Lesson He Ever Learned

Early in the burgeoning 20^th century, Bethlehem Steel Corporation CEO Charles Schwab had the occasion to converse with a management consultant who inferred that Schwab’s people needed to gain more knowledge about managing.

 

In response to the consultant’s remarks, Charles Schwab responded with the now famous statement “What we need around here is not more knowing, but more doing! If you will help us to do the things we already know we ought to do, I’ll gladly pay you anything you ask!”

 

Without the slightest hesitation, the management consultant immediately agreed to accept Charles Schwab’s challenge and then proceeded to assert that “In 20 minutes, I’ll show you how to get your organization to do at least 50% more.”

 

The advice which the consultant then provided to Charles Schwab was to do the following:

 

● Write down and prioritize your 5 most important tasks to complete in the next business day.

 

● Put the list in your pocket until tomorrow when you will take it out and start working on priority number one.

 

● Look at that priority every 15 minutes until it’s done.

 

● Then move on to the next priority and then the next one after that.

 

● Don’t be concerned if you only finish two or three or even one because you will be working on the most important things.

 

It is important to comprehend that as CEO of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Charles Schwab was handsomely compensated by Andrew Carnegie for his expertise and leadership abilities at the rate of one million dollars a year.

 

Subsequent to receiving the consultant’s advice, Charles Schwab stated that “this was the most profitable lesson he had ever learned.”

 

What exactly was this highly valuable lesson you ask? It was simply this:

 

The organization whether small or large that understands and executes on the power of focusing on priorities will progress and succeed.

 

CEO Schwab rewarded the management consultant with $25,000 for this sterling advice, which in the early 1900’s was a huge sum of money. Even more so, when you consider that it was for just a few short minutes of advice.

 

As timely as the advice given to CEO Schwab was over a century ago, it remains so to this very day.

 

The ability to appropriately identify and execute top priorities remains a core competency of 21^st century leaders. To this end, one of the key components which we teach in our premier leadership programs and workshops is that “Leadership is WAR”. Employing the W.A.R. analogy in the everyday business activities of your company or municipality is certain to help your organization and your people to accomplish more.

 

       Work on the right priorities.

 

       Achieve the right goals.

 

       Remove the barriers that are impeding your progress.

 

While there are an immense number of focus points that your organization could choose to focus on in both present and future tense, the critical mass of potential success in business, industry and government rests with your organization’s ability to effectively wage W.A.R.

 

As your valued resource partner, we stand ready to assist your organization, its leadership and your people to both wage W.A.R., while assisting them to… Learn more… Do more… Become more.

Copyright © 2016 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Timely Leadership For A Changing World

Over the many years of traversing up and down the Interstate 95 corridor, I am often amused by the cheesy yet catchy billboards that are utilized by South of the Border as part of its innovative marketing campaign.

 

The one particular billboard that always grabs my attention very simply reads “What is old… Is new again”.

 

What a creative way of conveying the subtle yet powerful message that no matter how many times you may have visited Pedro in the past, that there is always something new awaiting you at South of the Border.

 

While life in the 21^st century revolves heavily around what happens to be the latest and greatest, there are those isolated moments when something old remains timely and current.

 

An excellent example of this phenomenon, is a literary work that has remained timely for nearly eighty years… “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.

 

In his masterful work of 1937 Napoleon Hill writes:

 

“We who are in this race for riches, should be encouraged to know that this changed world in which we live is demanding new ideas, new ways of doing things, new leaders, new inventions, new methods of teaching, new methods of marketing, new books, new literature, new features for the radio, new ideas for moving pictures. Back of all this demand for new and better things, there is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

 

How fresh, timely and original Napoleon Hill’s words remain. His thoughts have served as potent fertilizer on the seeds of imaginations for countless generations of leaders and innovators who have furthered our collective way of life for nearly a century.

 

What seeds of imagination are currently fermenting in your organization and in the minds of your people? Is your organization, its leaders and your people fully prepared to embrace the challenge of change that new ideas, new ways of doing business and new ways of serving customers will demand of you?

 

Your organization must possess a crystal clear vision for its future and a definiteness of purpose for what it wants to accomplish in that future and “why”. As well, your people must have the passion, skill sets and staying power to collectively achieve the organization’s ongoing mission and vision.

 

Definiteness of purpose ensures that your organization and your people recognize, embrace and act upon the opportunities that directly relate to the achievement of your organization’s goals and objectives.

 

Napoleon Hill strongly believed that definiteness of purpose was the starting point for all achievement. I would readily concur that his belief is accurate for both organizations and individuals alike.

 

Such an undertaking will require masterful leadership that is capable of preparing the organization to both plan and then flawlessly execute the action steps which are critical to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives.

 

Even as you read this brief there exists an unprecedented need for new ideas, new leaders and new innovation that is greater than at any time in human history. New horizons and new opportunities lie just ahead.

 

While Napoleon Hill’s timely observations continue to endure … They also beg the question … Is your organization’s leadership truly ready for what ever lies around the next bend in the corporate road?

 

Developing Forward Leadership Development

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Garnering Greater Influence

One of the questions that I frequently pose to our leadership program participants is “who” or “what” is influencing them.

 

Additionally, I also instruct them to take a few moments to carefully consider the thoughts and feelings that they have with regard to their organization, key executives, boss, coworkers, family, friends, neighbors and public leaders.

 

The question that subsequently follows is “How many of the thoughts and feelings that you hold toward your employer, executives, boss, coworkers, family, friend, neighbors and public leaders are actually your ‘own’?”

 

As you have undoubtedly witnessed many times in your life, circumstances and people are not always as they appear to be. All too often, the perceptions of other people or situations are vastly influenced by mere snippets of information or the opinions and conjecture of others.

 

If you happen to be on the other end of this equation, your ability to be an effective leader may become hampered or impaired due to the misperception of who others believe you to be, as opposed to who you truly are.

 

The fact is that in both business and government the manner in which you are perceived will directly determine the degree of influence that you will ultimately be able to exert over other people. Your ability to lead effectively is rooted in your credibility as a person as well as in the credibility of your communication.

 

In essence, everything that you say or don’t say and everything that you do or don’t do will either enhance or detract from your personal credibility and your resultant ability to influence and lead other people.

 

While the responsibilities of leadership by anyone’s count are numerous, it is my personal belief that two of your most important responsibilities are:

          To bring out the best in other people.

          To build mutually beneficial long term relationships.

 

Your capacity to develop the potential of your people and to forge meaningful relationships is directly proportionate to your personal credibility. As cited above, the credibility of your communication is a significant factor when it comes to influencing others.

 

This stems from the fact that one of the hallmark qualities of a great leader is his or her ability to become a great listener. Your capacity to listen attentively to what others have to say builds trust and credibility. The more you listen to what someone is really saying to you, the more he or she will trust you, follow your leadership and remain open to your influence.

 

Of all the core competencies that you may choose to develop as an authentic leader, your truest level of success will be as a result of the quantity, quality and sustainability of the relationships that you forge throughout your life and career.

 

It will ultimately be these trusted and valued relationships that will over time determine the scope and depth of the influence you garner as a leader.

 

Developing Forward Leadership Development

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8 Words That Can Kill Your Leadership

Of the hundreds of qualities and attributes that a leader can exhibit, the critical cornerstone qualities that every leader must exemplify without exception are professional integrity and personal trustworthiness.

 

If you are not 100% authentic and credible, your organization’s people will ultimately choose to neither trust you or follow you.

 

While your people are constantly watching your conduct, the decisions that you make, the way that you present yourself, it is your interpersonal communication that your people observe most of all. Do you look them in the eye when you converse with them? Do you shoot straight when you speak? People invariably know when their leaders hesitate, hold back, sugar coat their message or vacillate.

Unfortunately, there are many good leaders who make the crucial mistake of putting their credibility in question by stating the eight words that can potentially kill their leadership. This typically occurs in the course of responding to insightful questions on the part of their people by stating… “Allow me to be completely honest with you.”

Like many everyday expressions and buzzwords, words ultimately convey powerful messages including visual representations to the brain. Quite often and to your potential detriment, the words that you choose can serve to undermine your “intent” and your leadership.

There are a number of similar expressions which as well should be stricken from your leadership communication, which include: 

            “Can I be frank with you?”

            “May I be candid with you?”

            “I’m going to be transparent with you.”

            “I’m going to be blunt with you.”

The response of “Allow me to be completely honest with you” immediately and implicitly implies that you haven’t been appropriately honest with your staff in the past. Although it may be quite unintentional, at that very moment the horse is out of the barn and your personal and professional credibility come under scrutiny and into question.

Here is the big problem with these types of statements… they indirectly convey that you are not always honest (or an honest person). What you are in fact emphasizing is that what you are about to say is something really special, because you are specifically deeming it to be honest.

Your implied need to tell people that you are honest will in fact lessen the level of trust in you as both a person and a leader, as well as what it is that you are about to communicate.

Setting titles and positions aside, there is a distinct difference between individuals who merely “manage” and individuals who truly “lead”. An authentic leader is the custodian of meaningful relationships which are based on trust where people freely and willingly choose to follow said individual as their leader.

It is a matter of allegiance by choice. People do not follow individuals that they do not trust.

The solution is to be authentic, open and honest at all times (without exception). In so doing, you will never place yourself in the position of having to tell people that you are being honest with them. Your people will already know that you are the real deal… a leader in whom they can confidently place their trust.

As your valued resource partner, we look forward to assisting your organization and your people to… Learn more. Do more. Become more.

Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC

Putting People Before Numbers

Over the course of my career I have had the opportunity to both meet and work with executives and business owners from a wide range of business genres and classifications. When I first sit down with them, I always pose the exact same question of them… “Why are you or your organization in business?”

 

With rare exception, their responses are always the same… “To make money”.

The answer is also much the same for nonprofit organizations, municipalities and government agencies. While the responses may be on the order of “To raise funds” or “To increase operating revenue”, the essence of the “why” remains basically the same, to make money.  Nonprofits still need to cover their general operating costs and the cost of the services that they provide. Municipalities in like fashion need to cover their operating costs and the multitude of services which they provide to their citizens and visitors.

In our age of cutting edge technology and the ability to micromanage virtually every facet of our business operations, there is a higher degree of focus on crunching the numbers and managing the organization’s bottom-line than at any other time in history.

Yet, despite all of the enhanced tools that organizations have at their disposal to run their business operations, employee engagement is at an all-time low and employee turnover continues to be astronomically high.

Contrary to this general business trend, there are a select group of highly successful organizations from business, industry and government that have mastered the invaluable lesson of putting people before numbers.

What these organizations have learned firsthand over time is that if they continue to simply hire people to work for their organization’s money, their organization is going to continue to experience employee mediocrity, low engagement and turnover.  

However, when they started hiring people who “believe” in what the organization believes in, their people willingly invested their blood, sweat and tears in a shared belief of the organization’s mission, purpose and goal objectives. These organizations subsequently experienced substantial increases in engagement, productivity, employee job satisfaction and improved customer servicing.

These organizations developed leaders who believe and practice the unselfish act of risking their own interests so that others may excel. With the acute awareness that people are naturally trusting and cooperative, these leaders purposefully chose to provide their people with a trifecta set of successors:

● An environment of safety in which to work freely and creatively.

● Devote their leadership abilities to the purpose of helping others to succeed.

● Provide a tangible vision and pathway to a shared belief of the future.

When people feel that their leaders have their interests at heart, the lookout for each other, work harder, collaborate openly, bring forth their best talents and innovate.

What you need to comprehend is that the peculiar outcome of this unselfish approach to doing business together is that these organizations ultimately “made more money”.

The questions that your organization needs to come to grip with sooner rather than later are:

How much longer are your organization’s leaders going to view leadership in the context of positions and titles, rather than a responsibility to the organization and the people who comprise it?

How much longer is your leadership going to fixate its primary focus on revenue generation?

And lastly… “why”?

Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC

Training Versus Development

How many times in your life have you heard someone say that a particular person is a “born” leader? Like most people, probably quite a few times over the years. The question now is… do you and your organization actually believe this to be true?

 

Even a number of renowned experts on the topic of leadership indicate that they buy-in to this concept. Yet contrary to this often held belief, there is no empirical research or data to support such a belief or take such a position. 

While there is no credible evidence to support the idea that leaders are born, there is ample evidence to also support the fact that leaders in like fashion cannot be “trained”. The American Society of Training and Development states that U.S. based businesses spend in excess of 170 billion dollars annually on leadership based curriculums, yet the vast majority of these immense expenditures are spent on leadership “training”.  

Although every human being has a capacity for leadership, such individual potential must be “developed”, which is an entirely different protocol from training.

The problem that exists is that training is grounded in the acquisition of new technical skills, systems and techniques for executing tasks. Moreover, the traditional methodology for training is one dimensional and equates to a one size fits all approach. Whatever the lead sensory system of the trainer happens to be, it will become the singular delivery modality that will be afforded to the trainees in mass. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t learn the same way, process information in the same way or assimilate the learning opportunity that is being provided in the exact same way.

As well, the vast majority of training is provided in a monologue environment which is typically manifested in the form of lectures and power point presentations. Simply stated, traditional training modalities are delivered in a sterile environment which historically focuses on past experiences and result outcomes… Rather than business pipelines, current trends and future needs.

The idea of training is fundamentally an attempt to standardize people and processes by blending to a “norm”. Consequently, these endeavors are all too often referred to as “best practices”, which are typically the safe play when it comes to normalizing people and processes.

 

In stark contrast, the act of developing leaders focuses on the progressive development of core leadership competencies, knowledge retention and the ability to implement the learning on demand. Developmental leadership is ultimately transformational.

Leaders and leadership candidates readily indicate that they dread training and will seek to avoid it at every turn. However, they embrace the idea of developing their leadership abilities because true development programs are fluid, collaborative, hands-on and actionable. Following below are 10 of the prominent key differences between training and development:

Training conforms to standards > Development focuses on maximizing potential.

Training focuses on the present > Development focuses on the future.

Training indoctrinates > Development educates.

Training tests patience > Development tests courage.

Training focuses on technique and content > Development focuses on people.

Training maintains the status quo > Development serves as a catalyst for innovation.

Training emphasizes compliance > Development enhances performance.

Training focuses on efficiency > Development focuses on effectiveness..

Training is transactional > Development is transformational.

Training blends to a norm > Development transcends above and beyond the norm.

If your organization seeks to distinguish itself, grow forward and evolve as a viable business entity, then your leadership must develop the appropriate competencies to facilitate these outcomes.

As your valued resource partner, we provide formal development programs that will assist your organization, its leadership and your people to… Learn more… Do more… Become more.

Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC

Being In Control

 

Take a moment to harken back over your career for a moment. How well do you remember your very first leadership position? Do you recall how unprepared you felt as you struggled to positively influence and inspire the people that you were responsible to lead?

 

If most leaders were to be truly honest about it, they would have to admit that when they were leadership greenhorns, they believed that leadership was about being in “control”.

 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of virgin leaders and veteran leaders still hold fast to this flawed belief of being/feeling in control. While it is sad, it is also never the less true. According to one Harvard Business Review article on the subject, little has changed over the past 30 years. Leaders being in control is far more a perpetuated myth by supposed leadership, than actual fact. Studies reveal that leadership’s control over performance outcomes amounts to a paltry 10%.

 

For leaders to actually influence people to the point of having a meaningful degree of control over their people and work outcomes, they would first have to have actual “followers”. And like their predecessors of the last century, 21^st century leaders (with rare exception) still don’t have them. All too many leaders remained immersed in the theatre of trying to appear as if they are in control, which is a far cry from actually being in control.

 

When it comes to employees, they simply aren’t buying the theatre routine of their leadership and haven’t been for decades. It isn’t very difficult to connect the dots and see the correlation with the lack of employee engagement in present time. Workers at all levels have witnessed the absence of leadership buy-in, experienced every new flavor of the month program and felt the lack of value as individuals.

 

In considering the Great Recession and the years of its lingering aftermath, how may organizational situations literally got out of control? How many brick walls did organizations encounter that may have even threatened their very survival?

 

When a member of senior leadership steps forward during such difficult times and attempts to deliver a seemingly positive stem winding pep talk to reassure their people – how did their people actually view this all too predictable action?

 

While a handful of employees may have slept better that night, the majority of employees felt that it was either a theatrical act to whitewash what was really occurring or an outright act of deception to keep them in the dark.

 

Given that leadership’s meager ten percent control over performance outcomes is generally unable to contain or effectively correct the situations that placed it in jeopardy in the first place, the tendency is to dismiss the situation by making it attributable to the business environment, economic climate and the like.

 

This is where, when and how leadership typically fails to own up to and account for the fact that decisions were in fact made by the organization’s leadership which placed the organization into jeopardy in the first place and then secondarily failed to get the organization out of the jeopardous circumstance it created.

 

At a base level, there are two components which invariably translate into the myriad of leadership issues that organizations from business, industry and government are faced with.

 

       People in leadership roles that have never actually had any formal leadership training.

 

       People in leadership roles who aren’t sure what to do.

 

In working with a wide array of organization types and business classifications over the years, the same “true confession” story continues to surface again and again. It always goes pretty much like this…

“The more I progressed in my leadership training and development, the more I came to realize that I was a part of the problem and not just a part of the solution. This realization helped me to grasp the fact that my leadership style had been about being in control or thinking I was. Not only was I attempting to perform my own job, I was trying to perform everyone else’s work too. And if I was too busy to do their work, then I bossed them about how to do theirs in order to get it done right. When the problems inevitably arose, I blamed my people for the mistakes. Little by little over time, I retreated to my office, closed the door and endlessly wondered what to do.

 

I had become the ogre in the room who believed he was leading by control and command. As I have since learned, the people that I was responsible to serve as a leader simply showed up at the workplace every day and then left promptly on time. I gave them no reason to do any different. The fact was that I was treating them like worker drones instead of allowing them to utilize their talents, stretch their capabilities and feel safe to make an honest mistake from which we could all learn and grow.” 

 

The reality of this confession story is that it is exists in every organization.

 

As your valued resource partner, we can readily assist your organization, its leadership and your people in changing this story to one where they… Learn more. Do more. Become more.

 

Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC

How To Deal With Emotionally Charged Situations

As a leader, it is essential for you to have highly developed people skills, especially when it comes to dealing with “emotionally” charged situations.

 

In today’s pressure laden workplace, tension, stress and emotions lie at the heart of virtually every situation. Interactions in the Boardroom and management meetings have become as heated as the Friday night fights. When leaders allow their tempers to flare and their emotions to influence their actions, the outcomes are certain to send a negative ripple surging throughout the organization.

You need only recall former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford barreling over a City Councilor during a city council meeting or the recent Parliament brawls in Turkey, Ukraine and Britain’s House of Commons – To be soberly reminded of the impacts of humanity’s negative potential, even at the highest levels of leadership. When emotions run high, leadership will all too often falter, thereby impacting performance, productivity and morale. 

The circumstance which I am referring to, serves as the basis for what the authors of the NY Times bestseller refer to as “Crucial Conversations”. As you have experienced, crucial conversations occur in personal life and business on a regular basis. These interactions range from conflict resolution, providing constructive criticism, policy and procedure, compensation, task assignments and differences of opinion, to name a few examples.

It is important to understand that there are three specific components that comprise crucial conversations, which consist of:

            ● The “stakes” are high (there is much at risk).

            ● Emotions run high (are emotionally charged).

            ● Opinions differ widely (lack of consensus).

In most situations, as can be readily understood, these crucial conversations and subsequent behaviors don’t usually fare well. Crucial conversations typically have a pronounced negative affect on personal well-being, organizational well-being and that of everyone else involved.

The unfortunate reality is that you find yourself in this type of conversational scenario on a regular basis. The salient question for you to answer as a leader is… “How can I remain in control of my emotions, while diffusing these crucial conversations?

As stressed by the authors of Crucial Conversations, it is necessary to be crystal clear about what is important in each given situation. This can best be accomplished by first determining what is “important” to you as an individual and as a leader. They suggest that you begin this process by answering the following questions:

            ● What do I really want for “myself”?

            ● What do I really want for “others”?

            ● What do I really want for the “relationship”?

After you have honestly arrived at answers for these three questions, take a few more moments to answer this final question:

            ● How would I choose to behave if I really wanted these outcomes?

 

Authentic leaders learn how to use this process to bridle their emotions for the greater good of all parties. Their ability to generate positive responses to these questions, helps them to reframe their attitudes about crucial conversations while taking personal responsibility for how they were initially feeling and reacting. Resultantly, calmer mindsets ensued which provided a more constructive foundation on which to engage the conversation.

A leader’s ability to become better grounded and appropriately focused, ultimately sets a more positive tone for the crucial conversation which thereby assists other participants to also engage with a more positive and expective approach.

The development of right attitudes, self-discipline and effective communication are essential competencies for leaders who want to remain in control of their emotions while handling and diffusing crucial conversations.

As your valued resource partner, we can readily assist your organization, its leadership and your people with the developmental training and processes that will help them to… Learn more… Do more… Become more.

Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC

Redefining Your Perspective

What exactly is it that you absolutely must (without fail) do today? An important report? Your presentation for this afternoon’s management meeting? Or perhaps a project deadline?

 

Like yourself, your people are also focusing on the things that they are responsible for, that as well must be completed today. They sweat the deadlines and potential consequences, just as you do, should they not measure up on this given day.

When you were growing up, your parents advised you repeatedly to “do it now”. The companion piece of advice that they also provided was “don’t put off till tomorrow, what you can do today”. More than likely, you have as well passed these words of wisdom along to your own children.

Throughout the years and course of your life, you have been repetitively taught to live and function in the here and now. I have no doubt that at some point one or more of your teachers told you to stop day dreaming, stay in the present and focus on your schoolwork. Moreover, the act of having been singled out in front of your classmates may have served to make you feel rather embarrassed.

The scenarios which have just been described have created a powerful set of habits and feelings that continue to influence your behavior to this very day. As a direct result of these patterns of influence, you and your people have been conditioned to engage in localized thinking and perspective.

Your predominant focus is that of being “short” term (local). In other words, you are primarily focused on what has to done and accomplished today, while being secondarily focused on what must be addressed in the next several days. i.e. Project deadline today… important meeting tomorrow morning… Johnny’s soccer game tomorrow evening and your mom’s surprise birthday party on Saturday.   

Much like your daily work tasks, you can only tackle so many at one time. Given the hectic pace of life and work, you and your people are typically so focused on everything that literally has to happen in the “now”, that it becomes increasingly more difficult to contemplate the “future”.

The inability of people in mass to think long term has become the new normal. This is precisely why according to “Investors Insight” that only 11% of the Baby Boomer generation are financially prepared for retirement. It is also why only 3% of people actually have real goals. In business, many once heralded household names no longer exist in the marketplace because they failed to see the big picture and the need to think long term. They ultimately failed due to their own short sightedness.

What I am attempting to call your attention to is the critical need for you, your people and your organization to shift to what astronaut and Colonel Ron Garan has come to call the “Orbital Perspective”. While logging 71 million miles aboard the International Space Station, he was awe stuck first by the view of earth from space, then secondarily by the fact that he was orbiting the planet below in an amazing feat of engineering that was the result of 15 nationalities successfully collaborating on earth and then in space.

For Colonel Garan, the opportunity to gaze from outer space, brought the earth down to size and diversity into a new perspective… that human beings need to apply the same spirit of collaboration and creativity to their everyday lives and work down here on the planet’s surface.

It is only when we stop to lift our heads, hands and hearts from our immediate tasks that we will be able to envision what opportunities lie in front of us, rather than what rests on our work bench and at our feet. We must first take time to look up, if we are ever going to truly see our potential future.

As Colonel Garan relished his crystal clear vision from space, the longer he observed, the more details of earth came into focus. While you may be earth bound, you can still experience something quite similar. Quite possibly, you have done this years ago and the experience has dimmed a bit over time.

On a clear night well after dark, go to a place where there are no outside lights to distract your vision. The look upward to the stars. Just relax, enjoy the view and be patient with yourself for a while. What you will soon discover is, that the longer you look, the more stars you will see and the brighter they will become. Such is the essence of your future, if you choose to see it.

Afterwards, simply know that this same principle works universally and that it will work for you, just as it did for Colonel Garan. Then adapt an Orbital Perspective to your life, your work, your people and your organization. Start looking up at the “Big Picture”, as well as focusing on a long term view of a new and brighter future. 

As your organization and people cease thinking locally and begin the process of thinking Orbital (globally), your collaborative efforts will lead you to share Colonel Garan’s belief that “There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth, only crewmates.”

For we are all here for the same reason and we all share a common purpose.

As your valued resource partner, we can readily assist your organization, its leadership and your people to… Learn more… Do more… Become more. 

Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC