Finding Reality

Reality is a complex concept.  In a world that never stops changing it can be hard to see the reality of any situation.  It is extremely difficult to pay respect to our personal biases while objectively trying to determine reality.  This quote by Jack Welch, legendary former CEO of General Electric, wisely points out two of the biggest obstacles to seeing reality for what it is.

First, in order to determine today or tomorrow’s reality, we need to deal with the past.  The past holds many lessons, but it doesn’t always hold the keys to assessing the reality of today.  In fact, a desire to see things as they used to be can be dangerous.  The past is a useful filter, but we need to work hard to separate the lessons of the past from the realities of today.  Often, we want things to be the way they were.  The known and easily understood is safe and comfortable.  It is important to develop the ability to see when things have changed, or are changing, so you can plot a course that will work tomorrow, not yesterday.

In business, this lesson plays out time and time again.  The buggy whip maker, Blockbuster Video, Kodak, My Space, all became cautionary tales of businesses that looked towards the past, not the future to determine their business reality.  The flip side of this is a company like Netflix.  Netflix realized from its inception that its purpose as a business was to deliver entertainment in any way possible.  This visionary acceptance of their business reality allowed them to transform from a DVD delivery company to a massive video streaming company with an award-winning production studio.  Here is a podcast episode where Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix discusses this concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_REno9e6gLY

The second big challenge to seeing reality is how we want things to be.  All of us have hopes, desires & perceptions that affect how we see reality.  We need to work very hard to be able to see the subtle difference between how we want a situation to be and how it actually is.  The challenge in business is to be able to look at things objectively without emotion.  You need to develop this skill in order to see reality.  Don’t get me wrong I believe wholeheartedly that we all need to play a huge part in shaping our own realities.  Taking responsibility for our part in creating our realities is massively important.  The trick is to take this responsibility while still being objective enough to see current and future reality of any situation.

Take some time this week to step back & look at things with fresh eyes.  Pay attention to some of your thoughts that are too influenced by the past, or how you want things to be.  Find some clarity that will let you plot the best course of action for any situation.  I hope you find this exercise helpful!  Have a great week!