The past two days, talking about “Big Picture”, vision, and perspective has me thinking this morning, and reflecting.
Re-reading the past two posts, written from here in Anchorage, Alaska, it makes me curious about how and why leaders choose their leadership style. It also begs the question, “How much thought do leaders put into their present day, yesterday, and tomorrow”?
A friend of mine was here in 1993 and visited Portage Glacier with his wife. From the visitors center, he said you could reach out and touch Portage Glacier. Too cloudy to see anything while I was there two days ago. But even if it had been clear, the only way to see it now is to travel by boat.
Didn’t anyone see this coming? Where were our global leaders when it came to thinking about environmental lessons learned from the past, real time consideration for current direction, and a look into the future to visualize where we will end up?
Whether it’s global warming and icebergs, or business conditions and technology, every leader ought to be thinking big picture as they plow headlong into their day. Otherwise, we may get to our destination, but our ship has already left port.
What inspires people to spend time on “big picture thinking“? I mean, most leaders are insanely busy. Who’s got time for it? Seriously. And yet we forget:
“Adversity doesn’t develop character, it reveals it”.
It’s incumbent on leaders to figure this out, isn’t it? To find time for the inspiration to think big picture, and contemplate a better future. These opportunities present themselves to us constantly and surround us everyday. It could be as simple as spending a moment looking out a window on the descent of your flight. For example:
Alaskan Glaciers from the Delta flight descending into Anchorage, Alaska yesterday.
Today is anther opportunity to be a great leader. Hope we are all up for the challenge.
jungle jeff is absolutely a wellness fanatic. Most don’t realize this. Why would they realize it? Why should they?
I started with one push-up per day for a week and then each new week, add one more push-up per day. After six weeks, that’s six push-ups per day.
Also started running one mailbox per day for a week and then each new week added another mailbox. After six weeks, I was running past six mailboxes. Then walked back.
Through continuous improvement techniques learned at work (fortune 100 company), managed my boredom, injuries, motivation and goals – and after a decade, guess what happened this past Summer?
From one push-up per day ten years ago, to representing the USA at the WMA Master’s Track & Field World Championships in Lahti, Finland. Men’s 400 meters, 50 – 54 age group.
So, excellence can be attained in virtually anything, but you have to be willing to set an impossible goal, work incredibly hard and never give up. Ya with me?
The tag line, “We need you to lead us”, really hits home for me. Why?
Because, in today’s world, if you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of chaos and uncertainty. “Duh”, right?
What I’d like to challenge is our predisposition to look to others to be better leaders. When in reality, the real work, where the biggest need is, is right in front of you as you look in the mirror.
Quite complaining about others needing to do this or do that – and presumably thinking that your life will get better as soon as “they” change.
Let the change begin and end with you. Period. Because until that happens, you are in no place to expect it from someone else.
Walking through an airport this week, a book title caught my eye, “Exploiting Chaos“.
Why? If I have to explain this to you, you most likely won’t understand. But, because I’m a sucker for people who want to understand and continuously improve, I’ll give it a brief try here.
Chaos is a paradox. We can (and probably do) hate chaos. Or, we can (and probably don’t) love chaos.
Hate it for all of the societal norm reasons most hate chaos.
Love it for all the opportunity it brings. Yes, opportunity. So once again, if I have to explain this to you, you won’t understand. But if I were you, I’d quickly try to figure it out, or get left behind.
From Wikipedia: A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of “creating transformation” (cf. spiritual transformation).[1] Their use and type varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra.
I will not be discouraged.
I will not be discouraged.
I will not be discouraged.
There will be times when you think the path you’re on – the one you convinced yourself and others was absolutely the way – may actually be wrong.
This is why courage and perseverance were invented.
Not in a million years. Walt Disney was the ultimate “envelope-pusher”.
Pushing the envelope is a phrase used when someone goes where no man or woman has gone before. Faster, higher, longer, deeper, more difficult, whatever.
In ten years of traveling regularly, I’ve never seen In-Flight Internet access.
Until yesterday.
It worked GREAT.
It was easy to create an account at www.gogoinflight.com . Seems like gogo inflight is pushing the envelope.
The world is changing. Fast.
I’ll bet if Walt Disney was alive, he’d love the speed, and, the breeze in his face.
