24 Aug The Wind, the Current, the Urgent, the Important.
“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
It is fascinating how some of the most profound leadership lessons that I have learnt, come from two powerful forces in nature. What the wind and the current have taught me about becoming an effective leader is something I feel I must share. In the endeavour to navigate the tightrope between the ‘urgent’ and the ‘important,’ I found the wind and current were apt metaphors.
We are all very familiar with the impact both these forces have on our time, attention and energy as leaders. Without us realising it, they come at us with blinding speeds during the course of a workday, compelling us to make split-second choices about which force we direct our focus towards.
The wind seems to get all the attention. Wind comes in a gust making us believe that it is the main thing that matters. Often times signifying nothing in the end, the wind seems to disappear just as suddenly has it had hit. ‘Wind’ issues are the stuff our workdays are filled with. Distracting us with breaking news, social media sensations and the hype, that seems to surround everything we set our eyes upon. With all its sound and fury, the wind though brief can be distracting and energy consuming.
The current on the other hand is continuous and directed. It has a greater impact than the wind and comes at us silently. ’Current’ issues are strategic and of far-reaching consequence. Like vision casting, business forecasting, mentorship, succession planning and so on. The current is like the rudder of a ship, unnoticed by all on board, except the captain and his core team. If left unattended, the current could direct the course of an organisation in paths often unplanned and unintended.
The current is at the source of virtually every major business challenge we face. It directs market forces, business economics, laws and policies, systems and processes, organisation culture, and what have you. The current is more solid, complex and more difficult to harness. But in harnessing the power of the current, lies the secret to growth and progress.
The wind and the current challenge us to make moment-by-moment choices about what we focus on. Because, it is easier to do trivial things that are urgent than it is to do important things that are not urgent, like thinking. And it is also easier to do little things we know we can do, than to start on big things that we are not so sure about.
If harnessed correctly, the current will break our inertia, eject us out of our comfort zones and bring us far greater results in the long term. It can steer our ships further up the river than the wind can. Our real work and impact as leaders lies in answering the question: Are we wind or current leaders
Steven Covey’s take on this was simple:
“…don’t let the unimportant, non-urgent needs distract us from spending time planning for and acting on the non-urgent, important things.”
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