20/21 Vision

It finally happened.

At 48 years old I got glasses for the first time. Just for reading, and I can get by without them; but they sure help.

When I put on my reading glasses it is much easier for me to focus on the things I want to give my attention to. Without them it's a strain to see what I need to see.

It occurs to me that leaders often have to strain at least a little to see the things that are most important. One of the lessons from the many uncertainties of 2020 is that much of what we focus on; strategic planning, long range forecasting, strong execution systems; is vulnerable to circumstances beyond our control. 

I believe in the high importance of Strategy and Execution but dynamic times reveal that Culture matters more. Healthy organizational cultures are able to adapt more effectively to even prolonged periods of constant change that make carefully crafted strategic plans and high performance systems irrelevant.

Wise leaders will take that lesson and choose to focus on intentionally developing healthy Culture.

In a similar way, our proficient Skills and hard-won Effort have been revealed to be more dependent on situations and circumstances than we realized. It's a deeply rooted sense of Identity that enables leaders to manage intense complexity and uncertainty and come out of it intact. 

Our leadership eyes are finely tuned to see things like Strategy, Execution, Skills, and Effort; but not so good at focusing in on Culture and Identity. Maybe we need a set of lenses to help us see and pay attention to these often overlooked areas.

If this rings true for you like it does for me maybe we can help. Contact me to set up a clarifying conversation about how to see Culture and Identity more clearly, and pick up a copy of The REACTION Dashboard for a practical tool that you can use on an ongoing basis.

2021 is a good year to improve our focus on the right things.