We Should Learn to Read the Writing on the Wall
By: Mick, April 17th, 2007
This is good advice for all of us and is applicable to every employment and life situation that I can think of. Over the past few weeks, I have had an opportunity to witness first-hand what can happen when individuals fail to see what appears to be obvious to the people around them. The consequences of failing to read the writing on the wall can range from inconvenience to utter disaster.
This is not to say that one should flee at the first sign of trouble or be unwilling to persevere in the face of daunting odds. Rather, it is a call to objectively assess our current situation and surroundings and make our decisions accordingly. This is far easier said than done, of course, which is why “hindsight is always 20/20” is such a popular saying.
In many instances, we’re aware of the realities of our situation but are unwilling or unable to see them for what they are. Often, the path of least resistance is to continue in a comfortable routine, even though we may know full well that a positive outcome is unlikely or even impossible.
The signs are almost always there to indicate when we should make changes in our careers or our personal lives, but we don’t always take the time to read them. Sometimes an honest assessment of our current situation is all it takes to avoid problems and create new opportunities.
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April 18th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
The logical extension to this is: How does a person who is not seeing the writing on the wall change their perception so they can?
Just because people around our blind person see things as obvious doesn’t mean that the person can perceive what others see. And, in my experience, there are 20 versions of what people are seeing written on the wall…so how do we know which one is right?
Clearly, knowing something is going to happen and then doing something about it are different. If one knows and doesn’t do anything, that’s just a motivation issue.
But if one truly doesn’t see the writing on the wall, how can that person learn to read?
Nice blog — thanks for your insights!
April 18th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Thanks, Scot -
Good points/questions. I wrote the initial post assuming that most of us have the ability to objectively assess our life situations, but are often too bogged down in our daily minutia to stop and look at what’s happening around us.
Your final question is interesting:
>But if one truly doesn’t see the writing on the wall, how can that person learn to read?
Unfortunately, I don’t think I have an answer. I think you’re correct in implying that everyone does not have the ability to “read” their surroundings. But many of us have the ability and yet we fail to apply it, thus missing opportunities to grow and/or avoid trouble. Those of us without the ability may have to lean on those around us that possess it for input and guidance.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
So, in essence, perhaps we need to apply the “weekly review” principle in Getting Things Done where we look at all of the work around us, including some higher level looks at our career. At that point, we could stop and analyze what happened this week that could effect our career and check out the writing on the wall and see what it is telling us. Not a bad thing to incorporate into what we do.
Thanks, Mick. I appreciate the response.
April 19th, 2007 at 1:02 am
[…] So how do the people who can read the writing on the wall ensure that they take the time to read what’s there? […]