A Failure of Imagination

Business leaders are generally called upon to think analytically. They are, of course, tasked with the financial stability of a department or organization. However, this often leads to having blinders on, feeling that there is only one way to do something or only one outcome to focus on. This is not the best approach.

I once worked with a CEO who completely fit this description. It wasn't that he lacked creativity or the ability to think beyond conventional limits. Instead, he didn't recognize that he was confining himself within those boundaries. This mindset can be more dangerous.

In life, as well as in business, we sometimes don’t know what we don’t know. But then something happens where we have a moment of clarity. We meet someone who opens up our eyes to a new way of thinking. Or we read a book that does the same thing. Or we find ourselves in a situation where we realize how little we know about a topic that we believed we were an expert in. This is life.

But, when faced with these situations, it’s wise to embrace them rather than close ourselves off from it. Let your mind open to new possibilities. Be courageous.

The CEO wanted to run the business the way it had always been run, even though the market had changed and was continuing to favor competitors. He refused to listen to anyone who had different thoughts or who had new ideas about where the business could go and what it could transform itself into. He was stuck in his comfort level. He could not imagine the organization being anything different from what it always had been and doing things the way they had always been done.

Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with tradition and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with sticking with something that is working. However, if the market is changing, customers’ desires are changing, and/or employees’ needs are changing, then maybe your organization must change as well.

There are many ways to fail, in business and in life. But if you can help it, don’t let yourself be a failure with regards to imagination. Allow yourself to dream big and to think expansively. For your career and for your business.