IF YOU’VE BEEN TO THE MOVIES LATELY, YOU’VE MOST LIKELY SEEN A FILM THAT WAS ADAPTED FROM A POPULAR BOOK OR NOVEL.  AND, IF YOU’VE STUCK AROUND AFTER ANY OF THESE MOVIES, YOU’VE MOST LIKELY HEARD SOMEONE SAY, "I LIKED THE BOOK BETTER THAN THE MOVIE!"  MANY TIMES, I HAVE TO AGREE.

FOR ME, IT’S THAT THE CHARACTERS ARE ALLOWED TO DEVELOP MORE IN THE BOOK VERSIONS, AND  YOU CAN SEE THE PLOT UNFOLD RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AS YOUR READ. AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU GO TO WATCH THE MOVIE, AND YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW IT WILL END!

 

WE RECENTLY SAW THE MOVIE “OZ.” NOW, THE STORY OF “THE WIZARD OF OZ” IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES OF "UNLOCKING THE GIFTS WITHIN!”  AND, SINCE WE ALREADY KNEW DOROTHY WOULD MAKE IT BACK TO KANSAS WITH TOTO, WE WERE ALLOWED TO SIT BACK AND REALLY ENJOY AND MARVEL AT THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AND THE CREATIVITY OF THE STORYTELLING.

SO, KNOWING HOW THINGS END UP AND KNOWING THAT THE “SURPRISE REVEALS” AT THE ENDING WOULD BE A LITTLE ANTICLIMACTIC, WE WERE ALLOWED TO FOCUS IS ON THE PRESENT. THERE’S NO ANXIETY OF, “WILL THE BAD GUY WIN?” OR “WHO REALLY DUNNIT?”

 

WE WERE ALLOWED TO WATCH THE MOVIE DIFFERENTLY—IN THE PRESENT!

 

AND SO IN LIFE, WHEN WE DON’T HAVE A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE GOING OR HOW IT WILL END, WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME NOT LIVING IN THE PRESENT, BUT WORRYING ABOUT THE ENDING. WE’RE NOT “HERE, NOW.”

 

BUT HOW CAN WE DO IT? HOW CAN WE CLARIFY OUR DIRECTION TO GIVE US A GLIMPSE OF WHAT’S AROUND THE NEXT CORNER? HOW CAN WE GET OUR TEAM’S TO BE MORE PRESENT?

WE CAN DO SO BY CREATING EMBEDDED OWNERSHIP WITH OUR TEAMS. WHEN THEY FEEL THAT SENSE OF OWNERSHIP, THEY CAN SEE THE VISION OR PURPOSE, AND THEY CAN CREATE VALUE IN THE PRESENT. WHEN SOMEONE CAN SEE HOW ALL OF THEIR ACTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES FIT TOGETHER WITH THE COMPANY’S OVERALL MISSION, WHEN THEY HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE "WHY” BEHIND THEIR TASKS, THEY’RE GIVEN A SENSE OF CONFIDENCE.

 

SO, AS WE PLAY OUT OUR STORIES AT WORK AND HOME, LET'S PAINT THE WHOLE PICTURE AHEAD OF TIME. LET'S SHARE THE WHOLE PUZZLE, AND WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN WE'RE DONE. EXPLAIN EACH PIECE OF THE PUZZLE, BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE.

 

I’M REMINDED OF THE STORY OF THE MAN WALKING BY TWO STONE MASONS HARD AT WORK IN ROME. THE MAN ASKED THE FIRST MASON, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”  HE ANSWERED, "I'M MAKING BRICKS." HE TURNED TO THE SECOND MASON AND INQUIRED, “AND YOU?"  THE SECOND MASON REPLIED, "I AM BUILDING A CATHEDRAL!"

 

CREATE THE VISION AND PURPOSE SO THAT ALL CAN SEE THE BEAUTY OF WHAT WE WILL BUILD TOGETHER.

PEACE