Climb Higher

"If I am walking on the side of a mountain, I can see first a lake, then, after a few steps, a forest. I have to choose either the lake or the forest. If I want to see both lake and forest at once, I have to climb higher."
~ Simone Weil

There's so much wisdom in this quote. On the flip side, if we want to see things clearly, we have to go closer to examine the forest. To look at each tree, we have to walk right up to it. While that gives us the detail of how each tree grows in the forest, we will lose sight of the lake.

So, as leaders, we have to take that hike. We have to walk down to the trees every now and then to see if the trees are growing according to how our people report to us. But we must also ensure that we hike back up into the mountains to get an overview of everything.

Trust our people too much to give the right information? Disaster—as they become mechanical and cannot take into account what's going on with the lake to consider what information is important for us.

Coming down into the forest for too long? We lose sight of the impending flood swelling the lake. It is our job to inform our people what's going on beyond the lake so that they can work on the forest in peace.