When Hildy Gottlieb, author of “The Pollyanna Principles,” spoke to a group of entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders in Los Angeles a few years ago, she asked us to walk to the balcony of the meeting room and look out at the horizon. With the sun setting over the Hollywood hills, it was easy to use the analogy of the skyline representing the mission and goals of each individual organization.
She then told the group that their shoes represented the day-to-day activities required to keep their companies going. She then pointed out that when you look at the things right under your nose, you lose sight of the big picture…that when you are focused on your shoes, you lose sight of the skyline.
For many companies, it feels like there is only time and focus on the “the shoes.