THE TRICK IS KNOWING WHICH IS WHICH

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Late 18th/early 19th century German poet/novelist/dramatist

For most of us most of the time what we worry about does matter least.

Success From Different Perspectives

"Every moment of light and dark is a miracle."

Walt Whitman

19th century American poet

So you see, more than the sum of the parts can come from opposites.

But you have to look for it.

Do you?

The Importance of Perspective

"There are truths on this side of the Pyrenees, which are falsehoods on the other."

Blaise Pascal
17th century French mathematician

Like the blind men feeling different parts of the elephant, "seeing" different animals depending on what part they touched, what we see in our business lives has everything to do with perspective.

Do you take perspective into account when making decisions?

A Laughing Matter

"Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on."

Bob Newhart

I think so too and what could be more useful when making critical business decisions than to gain new perspective that will come from having "stepped back"?

All the better if it is laughter that makes that happen.

What role does humor play in your business?

Life Beyond the End of Your Desk

"A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world."

John LeCare
Author

Mr. LeCare writes crime stories and is suggesting he couldn't do that well without the perspective of reality.

Nor can we manage our business if all we see is in our office.

Thought: Fashionable Decision Making

"Every generation laughs at the old fashions but follows religiously the new."

Henry David Thoreau
Author, Poet

So is Mr. Thoreau making fun of the old or the young who follow new fashion?

Maybe neither. Maybe he's just calling out what is around us in all aspects of our lives, including business.

I can think of many examples of business logic I almost automatically once thought "powerful", now, well let's just say less so. But fortunately I'm still able to get excited about "new" thinking.

That's just being human.

However one thing I am now more than in the past is thoughtful. I will still occasionally lurch towards extremes but less far and rarely if ever all the way, choosing instead to think things through before acting.

What about you?

Perspective: The Clear Picture

"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home."

Ken Olsen
President Digital Equipment Company (said in 1977)

I don't know Mr. Olsen but assume he is an intelligent individual (he had to have been to reach the position he did.) And like everyone he would be subject to miscalculation and no doubt regretted this statement soon after making it.

Perspective, or lack thereof, is what makes or breaks most companies. How do you know yours is what it should be?