A Greater Purpose – Insights from 4000ft. – by Arnie Wohlgemut
This past weekend, a friend of mine Luis, took me on a sightseeing airplane tour. He masterfully guided his four-seater airplane at 4,000 feet, along the Lake Ontario coastline. We flew over Niagara Falls, headed north along the Lake Erie coastline and back to our point of departure.
It struck me on how vast and beautiful our country is. I saw open farmland dotted with windmills and trees. There were highways and rural roads crisscrossing the landscape as far as the eye can see.
As I looked out at the scenery below, I wondered how many obstacles needed to be overcome to create such a map of beauty. I suddenly found myself pondering about the many seemingly large objections I had dealt with in previous jobs, and how small they were in comparison to the bigger picture I was seeing.
“In every situation there is always a bigger picture and a greater purpose. Don’t miss it.”
Fiona Childs
- Every greater purpose has an origin, a seed of inspiration.
Time and time again I would hear people criticizing senior management, and CEO’s for only seeing THEIR world at 30,000 feet. Equally, I hear how little time and effort was put into sharing the big picture, or the greater purpose with others on the team.
The role of the CEO and senior management is to guide the company towards the big picture, the dream or greater purpose that was the inspiration for starting that business in the first place.
“Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”
A German Proverb
2. Acknowledge the fear and resistance to change.
The fact remains, senior management often have the best view of the bigger picture or understanding of the greater purpose. However, not sharing these can lead to unnecessary fear, speculation of issues seeming larger than they are and worse, resistance.
Competent leaders know that fear can paralyze individual team members. Effective leaders take steps to address these fears.
“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honour.”
Aristotle
3. Acknowledge the fear and resistance to change.
In my experience, many fears and concerns are rooted in our natural or selfish resistance to change. We “like” our world the way it is. We “like” our life, even when it is not enjoyable or uncomfortable.
It requires courage to pursue the greater purpose, but also courage to willingly listen to the fears and concerns of others. We may not be able to address all of them, but we will have a better understanding of what those fears are.
As I looked out the windows of my friend’s airplane, I was glad to see that despite objection and roadblocks, there were big gains towards the greater purpose we had adopted.
Everyday as leaders, we have the opportunity to share the greater purpose with those we work with. Be courageous. Help them understand what you are trying to achieve and why. Help them to see the dream while encouraging them to add to the greater purpose.
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