24/11/2023
Thinking across functions and finding interconnectivity comes naturally to me. Last week I had the please to host a great conversation with a dynamic group of leaders within a fortune 500 FMCG firm on . The attendees made a number of gracious comments about how I use my brain, and see business and the world that seemed to be a bit 'awe-inspired'.
Yet, upon reflection I realized that many issues I have faced in my career also stem from this form if thinking. With over 25 years of business experience, I have been told to "hold my space", and "not interfere." I have been looked at sideways when expressing how I received how decisions being considered in finance could influence operations and sales, and I have had many a "talking to" over the course of my career about speaking about things I "couldn't possibly understand."
Systems thinking is a blessing, no doubt, but with everything, and the environment needs to be considered greatly.
I embrace and on , and while many have hired me in-house or on an Advisory/consultancy basis, sometimes what is unearthed can feel surprising and too much to handle. A blessing if your client is ready, a curse when the politics are overpowering.
I share these thoughts to show that there are many sides to any gift. We all have unique that we need to manage and cultivate in order to achieve success. To just be seen as talented doesn't guarantee success, people are complex and the teams we create even more so.
What gifts have you had to "manage" to achieve success?