What does the wind leave behind?
Recently I was out for an early morning run atop the pristinely rippled sands of the Atlantic shore. The previous night had beautifully renewed the waters’ edge of Virginia Beach. I observed that was light had blown away. Only the heavy remained.
The pretty micro-dunes of sand were a stunning backdrop for my early morning metaphor: What had weight was still present, what didn’t was gone.
In Exploration we are always observing. We read the horizon and try to understand what is being seen. Logs, journals, pictures and notes record the inputs. I often question what I’m seeing and what I'm logging. Is what I’m seeing temporary or is it lasting?
Something may appear to be solid and strong, but the test of time reveals whether it truly is or not. Sometimes the loudest voice appears to be the most important, but in reality it's only fleeting. The voice may be emphatic with emotion, but its volume fades quickly.
As is typical this time of year, I've been surveying two areas of my life.
1. What is loud, but should not be lasting in my life? 2. What is lasting and is not loud?
What has the wind of 2014 left behind in your leadership and in your organization?
As I kept running along the beach, another question emerged, perhaps even more important. More in part two.