Thankfully, the balance of the economy is resting quietly, your customers are comfortable with the level of service and quality that you provide, and your competitors are complacent and content with their share of the market. Oh, wait… that’s wrong.

The exact opposite is true.

Of course things are changing. And quickly. So here’s an insight: you’ve got to be better tomorrow than you are today. And, if you want to lead, you’ve got to get better faster than the economy, faster than your customers’ wants and needs, and faster than your competitors. As strategist and best-selling author Gary Hamel said, “An organization loses its relevance when its internal change does not accelerate at the same rate as outside changes.”

Maybe you need some new lenses.

Look first to the outside. You need a wide-angle view of your external business landscape. As well, you need a telescopic view of the future. And, maybe a close up view of a particular situation. Develop a high resolution picture of your current reality. What needs to be done? How well are you prepared to do it? Now, in that context, develop a similar high resolution picture of your organization’s internal reality. What needs to be done to meet/exceed the requirements of the reality you now see?

Repeat. Often.

In Other Words…

“The miracle of your mind isn’t that you can see the world as it is. It’s that you can see the world as it isn’t.” – Kathryn Schultz

“You need to have a passionate interest in why things are happening. That cast of mind, kept over long periods, gradually improves your ability to focus on reality. If you don’t have the cast of mind, you’re destined for failure even if you have a high I.Q.” – Charlie Munger

“The good things take care of themselves. We want to find all the negatives.” – Wayne Huizenga

“We need to make sure we have the best people we can in our operations, and that is a constant challenge. There is always room to improve.” – James Packer

In The Word…

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”  Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.” – 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

In Linked Words…

What happens when we misunderstand the signs around us?