This week is going to be spent writing a little more about the “3 Questions”. I’ll take one at a time.
Just for a refresher, when you walk into a room, ask yourself:
- What needs to be done?
- What can I do?
- Who can I get to help?
(Click here if you haven’t read the original posts yet)
Today, we are going to explore a little more of the first question, specifically the benefit of seeing a situation with fresh eyes.
Fresh eyes change the room
Think about your life. When have you walked into a situation and been able to see right away what needs to change? Think of a time when you walked into a situation or a room and had a difficult time discerning what needs to happen.
There is something powerful and invigorating about walking into a new situation and assessing what is happening. My personality may fit this better than most. I am not a “walk into the room and take charge” kind of guy. In fact, one time in college I was in a class of about 15 people and six weeks into the semester one of my classmates made the statement “I forgot you were in the class with us!” I love analyzing issues and situations before speaking.
You may not be wired that way. I have friends who are wired to speak first and think later, but the principle is still there. We all, in one way or another, have learned to walk into a room and evaluate what is happening, and do so naturally in many situations.
When you turn on a sporting event, you are becoming aware of things: who is playing, what is the score, who is winning, who is announcing, who is having a good game, who just made a big play, etc. Can you imagine the days of the cavemen when the score on TV only flashed periodically? How did anyone ever survive? Now, we evaluate instantaneously.
When we walk into a room for the first time, either literally or metaphorically, our fresh eyes allow us to see things other people naturally do not see.
The goal in developing our leadership ability is to learn to develop fresh eyes on a regular basis. If we can walk into a room and realize what needs to be done, then we are ready to ask and answer the second question.
Today, try looking at the situations around you with fresh eyes. What needs to be done? What is something that, if you were new, you would see as an area that needs changing?
Wednesday, we will dig a little deeper into the second question: What can I do to help?
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