Things in perspective

Let me add this idea to the reader’s bag of tricks. Act, don’t react.

Now this is easier said than done, but again there is a technique, trick if you will, that helps in putting things in perspective when trying to analyze a potential problem. Managers usually learn this idea, though most do have to be taught. It is not a human trait most of us are born with.

Now those in leadership positions often have problems brought to them. Mothers and Fathers know this quite well, I think. My encouragement is to “listen”, then act vice react. And of course don’t do anything for at least a day so you can think about it, and gain the advantage of hearing other courses of action. Now of course some situations demand a quick answer, like siblings fighting each other, and hopefully the “leader, as in mother or father” has thought all this out ahead of time.

Now above the Family level, some problems are bigger than others. The key, at least to this poster, is to put things in perspective. And an honest person will know (or recognize) that they might not know “everything” they wished they could know given enough time.

Now we also know the world is not perfect, so other humans operate with ego and micromanagement ideas that often work for the short term. It is both the long term and human tendencies that tend to balance things out. Nobody, in the long term can dominate humanity, but surely some can in the shorter terms, like a hundred years or less.

And sometimes, “in perspective”, they do an OK job, too...at least during their time and location, like Sri Lanka.

Now I suggest a starting list of “problems” we should put in perspective. I am sure there are many others the reader can add to.
• Global warming. Is it the sun or humans?
• Rural vs. Urban. What does that mean?
• Type of government. And what should public government do? And how should government balance good ideas with resources? How about elections? How about tax methods to pay for all this stuff our government does?
• Public health. To include food, clean water, and waste water treatment.
• Education. Is it teaching all good human things learned before, or more indoctrination of young people?
• Transportation. Is it for the public or business, or both?
• Maintenance. How do we pay to maintain previous generations’ projects, most done with good intentions at the time, I hope? How do we even assign priorities, as in tax more or just let lesser priority projects fail in the long term?
• Locally, whom do I vote for? And why, mostly, if they can balance the competing priorities to my voting satisfaction. Do I think they (our elected leaders) can put things “in perspective”? For example, do we locals and our elected leaders decide to pay to maintain the waste water sewer system set up in the 1960’s? What do we have to give up to pay for this, if anything in the budget?
• Academic vs. real world. Which way do you think we humans will go?

With all the normal turmoil in the World, now is a good time to remind all that putting things in perspective is a good skill for leaders. Again, it is a skill that most must be taught or acquired, but those with this skill can sure help we humans go forward to our future, whatever that will be.

Now I will modify a line from one USA 1970’s movie, Jeremiah Johnson. “Lord knows, I hope it be an experienced person”.