I have a personal management mantra I hold close to my heart. I share the mantra with anyone willing to listen, often with the intent of reminding myself of its importance. It centers on listening to others.
“If I fail to listen to those around and reporting to me, the only thing I know for sure is that I can see less. This failure is a step towards blindness.”
The mantra continues to bring magic to the workplace. I discovered that someone did not understand a critical memo. I became aware of another’s struggle with a personal situation. The resistance from a group with a different group with a separate agenda took on a new perspective with another’s insight.
The more that I hear from the Other, the more that I hold the foresight to act differently. This awareness also comes with a downside. In holding the information within me, it seems I am breaking a powerful chain. The links in the chain are the words, openness, and dependency that can binds us together. If I am to strengthen the chain, there is a call to do something more.
The model of More has been repeated across the ages. One example occurred on a sailing ship in distress. Paul had the insight. He could have acted alone, doing the required. Instead, “Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, ‘If these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going down.’” (Acts 27.31)
Wisdom is foresight that involves two or more. It is a catalyst. It calls us to action. What was singular became community. Power is always strongest in a community.
As we wrapped up two days of planning and problem solving, I reflected as I looked through the glass wall the blue waters, white sand, and people enjoying a day off. Singapore East Coast is often idyllic. We had struggled through several significant questions. The insights we now had were the result of a unique collective view. In sharing and embracing these insights together, anything will be possible. Just imagine.
