Hat, Sunglasses and Earplugs
Let’s indulge ourselves in a quick thought exercise:
Imagine you take a daily walk, for exercise. You walk for 45 minutes, along a busy thoroughfare. Additionally, let’s assume this walk is taken midday, when there is plenty of sun.
Based on the facts as stated above, does it make sense to wear a wide brimmed hat? I would think so; we are told to protect ourselves from the sun. Does it make sense to wear sunglasses? I think most of us would agree that makes sense too. Proper sunglasses make it easier to see when it is sunny and help protect our eyes (if they block out UVA and UVB rays.)
So, we have decided that a hat and sunglasses make sense for midday walking. Does it make sense to wear earplugs? If it is a busy road we are walking along, there probably is lots of noise that, day after day, might take its toll on our hearing. Noise reducing earplugs are relatively cheap. Buying them and wearing them is a small price to pay for something as precious as our hearing. (We just need to make sure we hear well enough with them in to protect us from danger.)
One additional thought: How many of us spend at least 30 minutes a day walking for our health? Answer, probably too few of us. But, I digress – sort of.
This small thought exercise is about consequential thinking. Behaviors, even those generally thought of as healthy, call for some reasonable steps to be taken insuring that, indeed, they are healthful. In business, consequential thinking is an extremely valuable resource, one that we might not spend enough time developing and training.
How can we effectively partake in strategic planning without a solid foundation of consequential thinking? The ability to make sound plans is based upon the ability to reason out what the results of our actions will be.
Back to our thought exercise. Before beginning a physical exercise program, it makes sense to get a checkup from a qualified physician. We might want to make sure we use sunblock when we walk. There are other measures we could take to, potentially, make our walk more healthful. How many of us are willing to think consequentially about what we do before we do it? It takes effort, but it is worth it.
The point is, in business and in life it is not enough to pursue a noble goal. What is key is that we pursue a noble goal in a noble fashion.
Image courtesy of [moggara12] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
*Authors note: You might see this column pop up online in a newspaper, under the name Both Sides. I am publishing this column here first at CYInterview.com. For a bunch of years, I have been writing newspaper columns. Since my columns have received a good response on CYInterview, I thought I would share it with you. Hope you enjoy.
You can reach me with your questions and comments at Jay@CYinterview.com Like today’s column? Check back frequently.