Tag: vision

Now What?

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.

Tip of the Glacier?

Yesterday, we saw this glacier from 15,000 feet.  Today, we see it from the ground.  What’s different about the two views?

Alaskan Glacier

What’s different? There used to be a time when I didn’t understand the difference. And not only that, the difference never even hit my radar screen.  Why?

Because, “Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes”.

So what has become clearer over the years is simply this. We have the choice to look at things from more than one perspective.

Funny thing is, we’ve always had this choice. The difference in the perspectives makes all the difference in the world.

We have this choice today.  And that’s just the “tip of the iceberg glacier”.


jungle jeff Loves Vision

jungle jeff loves vision.  Being able to see?  You love that?  Well, yes, and that’s not what I meant. Not seeing what’s in front of us now, but seeing what could be in front of us well into the future.

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” – Japanese proverb

If you went and looked in the mirror and were compellingly honest, which side of the Japanese Proverb would you fall into?  The left side or the right?

“A frog in a well can not conceive of the ocean”. — Japanese Proverb

Hope you can comprehend the first proverb.  If you have the title (real or assumed) and you don’t understand it, go look in the mirror again.  Are you an amphibian?

It’s been said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”.  Carpe diem.

Mantra, Mantra, Mantra

Mantra, mantra, mantra.

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.

Motivation Is Like A Meal

Motivation is like a meal.  Seriously.  But we all forget.

Should an Annual Conference’s motivational effects last all year?

Should monthly meetings keep teams inspired all month?

Weekly meetings?  Will the excitement last all week?

Daily meetings?  All day?

After breakfast, most humans are ready to be nourished again at lunch. Even after two decent meals, most are ready for a third meal in the evening.

We even throw in snacks to help sustain us. Why?

Because motivation, inspiration and excitement begin to subside within hours, just like meals.

Do you have any idea what this means to you and me as effective leaders?