I live near the downtown area of Ruston. With the blind school located downtown, I frequently encounter blind people navigating their way on the streets with their walking sticks and GPS monitors. I have stopped to assist many of these individuals in the two short years that we have lived in Ruston, and the encounters are always the same. I will ask if I can help them with directions, and they always want to know their current location first.
Most recently, I saw a young blind lady standing in the middle of the street appearing to be disoriented and confused. With cars easing by on each side of her, I walked over to her and asked how I could help. Before she spoke, I asked her where she was going. Her response to me was a great lesson in leadership and life. She said, “If you can just tell me where I am right now, then I will have a better idea of where I am going.” So, I slowed down and explained where she was and helped her navigate to a safe area. From there, we talked about a path to her destination.
I will never forget her statement! The implications of her words are so true for organizations, teams, and individuals. We need to know where we are starting from before we can pursue our destination. We need to make an honest, accurate assessment of where we are today as an organization, team or individual, and not where we want to be. That honest assessment of our current location or position in life can be a tough one for many of us. We may not want to honestly assess our current shortcomings, struggles, or gaps from our desired destination. We may be so fixated on the desired destination that we aren’t aware of our current location. Goals can be a good thing in our lives and within our organizations, but they need to be used wisely.
I utilize goals in three basic ways in my life and in my consulting business. Goals help me manage my work plan, measure my progress, and motivate my effort. For this approach with goals to be successful, I must understand where I am starting from in the respective area of my life. The goal/destination should be reachable but challenging. Starting location is a key factor in properly setting that goal or naming that destination.
Once we understand location, we can successfully pursue our vision of a destination or goals that we have set for ourselves. When helping others with guidance and wise counsel, we should always seek to understand where the individual is today. The same factors that hold true for individuals hold true for organizations as well. Let’s not forget the very key truth of location before destination as we lead others and lead ourselves!
