This blog is the start of a series of metaphors around sailing which are often used in business or describe situations, interactions or expectations between people.
I hope that you enjoy them and follow them over the next few weeks.
Well, this one speaks for itself and falls under the main value of "AWARENESS".
When an organisation starts to grow (ex: from a couple to a family, from a 1 person business to a small team or from start up to a multinational company) it is amazing how quickly the initial intention, "the reason to be", gets forgotten. Rapidly, each team member tends to naturally focus on what makes him or her successful while taking the rest for granted. A typical behavior is to turn a blind eye to what is not directly under his/her responsibility. For instance, families take "love" for granted so end up forgetting to respect each other and start to use bad language, small teams rapidly forget the vision that brought them together in the first place, larger organisations even recruit to solve problems or to undertake specific tasks and omit to expand and explain to the candidate what the purpose of their organisation is or what are its fundamentals. This ultimately leaves newcomers relatively blind as to where their contribution could really matter.
We tend to forget how we float, where we are heading and why we were heading there in the first place.
Especially now, when the pace of change is fast and continuing to increase, it really pays to take a moment and reflect on what really matters. Make everyone in your teams aware of where you are going, what is essential, what is risky, what is inside, what is outside, what you can and can't influence, who has which skills, who has connections. Be consciously AWARE of your environment. And let's not forget the "here and now", know when to raise alarm, and, more importantly ask yourself these questions: what should I really focus on, right now, to have the most positive impact on my life, my team or my organisation ? How can I raise the awareness of those around me on what really matters?
By your AWARENESS, and raising the awareness of those around you, you can have a meaningful impact on your safety, your health and that of those around you and your success and that of your organisation. You can then start to build a vision and a strategy that has purpose and meaning.
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