Thinking about thinking.
My dad stole a quote somewhere along the way that he’s used throughout my life.
“Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.”
In my family we call these sayings “dadisms” for the frequency they were used, and the great irritation we felt when we heard them. Especially because we knew it meant that we were NOT getting help on the due-tomorrow-science-fair-project we had so dutifully procrastinated on.
All these years later, however, I have to admit that there is good wisdom here for all of us.
Certainly, we’ve all felt the pressure of someone else’s emergency. As a people pleaser, I often react quickly when there is a seemingly urgent need “placed” on my shoulders.
But lately I’ve been thinking about the faults in this type of knee-jerk response.
Do you think or do you just respond?
My boss, Neil, is a fantastic thinker. Watching him attack a problem often feels like witnessing a small miracle. The guy can turn worst-case scenarios into win-wins with such ease, you hardly know what hit you. He doesn’t get caught up in drama or stress. He just thinks. And most of the time he ends up solving the problem causing the problem.
I’ve benefited greatly from his leadership. And I’ve learned from him that without good thinking, real problems don’t usually get solved.
Too often we hear the proverbial shout of “fire” from a co-worker, a family member, a friend, and we rush to find the nearest extinguisher. We spend our days as reactionaries, jumping from one task to another, relieving pressure points.
We feel busy (perhaps overwhelmed). But are we really producing meaningful work? The kind of work that changes entire structures and processes? The kind of work that prevents “fires” from occurring in the future? Or has a response plan already in place for when they do?
I want to learn to identify root problems so my contributions bring clarity to the bigger picture, not fuel to the next fire.
QUESTION: Where could big picture thinking/problem solving benefit you in your professional or personal life? What most frequently holds you back from doing it?
