Getting Perspective

A movie featuring a slugfest between a radioactive lizard and a giant ape recently had a surprisingly large box office weekend. Does that mean in-person cinemas now have a bright future and that streaming is not as critical as was thought?

The supply of computer chips is so limited that it is forcing US auto makers to shut down production lines. Does that mean that the production of semiconductors is coming back to the US and perhaps create new opportunities for suppliers?

You may not care about these subjects because they are unrelated to your business, but they are both examples of popular events that are getting a lot of buzz in their industries. But what do they mean?
Innovative leaders need to be able to discern the important opportunities from the hype in their field of business. They need to be able see the larger picture.

Innovative leaders do this by being highly aware of the opportunities, trends, and industry changes that might affect their business. And by having the bandwidth to think about what they might do with that information.

Your company will not reach its full potential if you do not have quality insight and time to consider what it means. Are you getting high quality information from a wide variety of sources? Are you giving yourself enough time to think about this information?

This week create an opportunity to get high-value information from respected sources. You can sign up for a webinar, call a colleague to share notes, ask your team what they have learned recently, or ask for a debrief from a trusted supplier.

Next, make the time to think. You can do that by making your meetings more efficient and by taking 100% responsibility for your calendar.

All leaders make time to solve problems. Innovative leaders make time to go beyond problem solving and look for ways to make things better. This can only happen by making time to know what is going on in the world so that you have the perspective to find the potential golden needles in the haystack of hype.

A CEO in one of my groups shared that he has recently installed a robot in his operation. He never thought he would need a robot, but saw the opportunity and took action.

I am sure you see lots of opportunities too. I am also sure you will see more and take better advantage of those opportunities when you make the time.