Don't Focus on the Wrong Thing

There are times for decisions to be made in the heat-of-the-moment. Wisdom and experience are without doubt two sources that empower a leader's capacity to do just that - act in the moment. In fact, leaders need to be able to respond in such moments with pensive insight, this is a true mark of a leader. 

Yet, true wisdom of a leader is demonstrated when they know what are those times to respond with immediate attention and direction and when not to. The challenge is when we are faced with multiple challenges, situation and circumstances throughout our mundane days. If we are not careful, our new-initiatives  will smell more like reactionary actions rather then the resonation of wisdom. Reactionary decisions and policies of implementation often are ignited by a situation at hand and serve, at best (if they do that) to remedy the fruit or symptom of the perceived issue. These type of reactions rarely, if ever, really probe and revolutionize the systemic roots or causes beneath the surface. They are only a mere momentary means of managing the issues.

This is true in the workplace, our families, administrative systems, as well as with the issues of our own hearts. Our natural tendency is to focus on the "wrong thing" and in the process never really see lasting change. Reactionary thinking often fails to see the big picture. 

The following clip aptly illustrates the blinded-ness that reactionary thinking and acting operates in... Simply put, when we function out of a reactionary spirit, we are often nullified of true discernment and run right past the issue that we were trying to "fix" in the first place.