Most jobs these days are tightly packed with activities, responsibilities, deliverables and the expectation of short-term results.
It is understandable, as employers strive to get more value out of the investment they make into their people.
The problem is, that as a result of this constant busyness, innovation, process improvement and out of square thinking becomes all but impossible.
Stephen Covey illustrated this situation very well through his metaphorical example of a fellow who was sawing a tree with a blunt saw but could not stop to sharpen it as he was too busy sawing.
I’m sure most of us have experienced something like that in our own jobs. The more under the pump we are the less likely we’ll have the energy and the time necessary to step back and figure out a better way of doing things.
This is bad enough on an individual employee level but on the level of a business unit or the entire organization, falling into this trap can become fatal. Want an example? Think Borders bookstores or Dick Smith Electronics.
There are no easy solutions here – it is a balancing act of both looking ahead and looking under your feet as you run.
On an organizational level you need a dedicated resource whose sole responsibility is to help everyone else in the organization with strategic and long-term visioning. And I mean help, not do it for them.
On the individual level you can get that support through the Achieve Your Career Goals Faster workshop.