As I work with my family, I work within my organization. It is striking how child development mirrors organizational development. There are times when a few or one person is leading the organization with singular vision. As parents we keep the long term in mind and communicate it to our children just as entrepreneurs and leaders do so in organizations. As in child development, it may take years to learn the basics of walking, talking, and interacting with others. It takes decades to learn how to focus on the here and now while achieving long-term goals and aspirations.

There comes a point where the organization has to switch from a black and white perspective to a more rational and gradated view of what’s happening. As time goes on the child like the organization learns the nuances of interpersonal interaction and thinking about the important aspects like preservation of life over product and mission. While all are important, there is a certain hierarchy of values that enable success without which we entangle ourselves in conflicting perspectives and drama.  As we gain skills, we differentiate. As we learn what makes us tick, we enable ourselves to focus on what’s important in our lives as individuals or as organizations. When we lose sight of what’s important or how we are being evaluated, our success deteriorates.

There comes a point where we have to grow up and move into more responsibility. We may have to do what’s right instead of just doing what’s fun or exciting. The quirk in life is that moment is now. The challenge is to find the fun in what has to be done in as much as the distractions away from our responsibilities. Find the fun in what needs done instead of avoiding what needs done. Refusing additional responsibility or refusing to learn and adapt is to stagnate along our path. Success is evolution of capability and increasing our capacity for independent action.. If we are successful, we are adapting and on the path from where we were to where we are going. Success is finding profit as we go along whether that be monies in our accounts as organizations or joy and gratification as individuals. When our values align with what we are doing and what we do benefits more than ourselves, meaning emerges. Is this not true of the work we do but also our individual lives whether we are eight, eighteen, or eighty?

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If you’d like to open a dialog on this or any topic on this blog, feel free to email jacob@bizofyou.com

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