Greetings Wow-types,

As you see in the pictures, above, I have been doing a certain amount of balancing on my forearms these last few weeks.

In the pose on the left (Peacock, for those who care) the gaze is short—just in front of you.

In the pose on the right (Charging Scorpion; again, for those who care) the goal is to be able to drop the head while continuing to balance. To do this, it is necessary to—among other things—take in boatloads of information through the pads of your fingers. They are your support system.

Why on earth am I writing about this today?

Well, it occurred to me that many people in leadership roles (myself included) forget about the importance of checking in with the long view: having muscled themselves to where they want to be, they fixate on what’s just in front of them.

It’s possible they also forget to listen to the information being provided by their support system.

And while this is fine in the short term, it doesn’t allow you—or your team—to grow. (As you can see, my charging scorpion is still in need of a wall… I can do it in the middle of the room, but it looks more like a writhing snake.)

So while it can be (and in the case of my scorpion certainly is) scary and humbling to shift your gaze and trust your support system, I highly recommend it if growth—for yourself or for your company—is one of your goals.

For more on the importance of staying big picture, take a look at “The Importance of Setting 3-Day, 3-Month and 3-Year Goals”