Insight #101
No doubt, you too have heard this platitude once too often: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” So tell me, how do you interpret the part about the tough getting going?
It all depends on your mindset, doesn’t it? You might believe that it means the tough will get involved, roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Or you could be cynical and believe that it means the tough will get going… clean away from the tricky situation as fast as possible.
Cynical or not, what should a leader do if faced with the going getting tough? If you believe your role is to be tough, to be the strong one, then you will get involved, roll up your sleeves and tackle the problem head-on. That would be a mistake.
That is not where you, the leader, should be. When the going gets tough, more than at any other time, you must get high. You must rise above it all.
If you don’t rise, you will get sucked into the detail as you get stuck into the details. And then the details will hook you. You will fixate on the problem in front of you, without seeing the bigger picture. Unable to see the wood for the trees, you will fight the battle without understanding the war.
Stop! Forget those damn clichés. What really matters is this. Stuck in the detail, you won’t know if this problem is really a problem. But more importantly, whether it will still matter tomorrow.
So, rise above it all. To where you can see clearly.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
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Quote of the Moment:
“I have found that the quickest way to shrink my troubles is to get high.” The Chief Nonsense Officer.
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