A Sextant.
This image is of my sextant which I brought aboard each ocean going ship I worked on. It was an unspoken tradition of sorts.
After all, what type of Mate or Navigator would I be if I didn’t bring aboard my own sextant?
A sextant is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance between two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation. Wikipedia
Sextant, instrument for determining the angle between the horizon and a celestial body such as the Sun, the Moon, or a star, used in celestial navigation to determine latitude and longitude. The device consists of an arc of a circle, marked off in degrees, and a movable radial arm pivoted at the centre of the circle.
Sextant | instrument | Britannica
Today, if upon reporting to my ship with my sextant in hand, probably crew members would ask if they could hold my sextant and take a selfie with them and me and my sextant. They might wonder what museum employed me. With SatNav systems it’s doubtful anyone plots a star fix with the sextant readings from a handful of stars and some planets each day any longer.
So the question for you is are you constantly seeking new tools for your business?
Are these ALL really necessary? Unless the payoff is in creating more efficient work or saving time by performing a function effectively with a faster, less risk prone method are ALL the new tools really necessary?
My suggestion is make a list of what specifically you are considering and share it with the people currently involved and obtain feedback.
Now we all understand that if Henry Ford asked people if they needed a car they would have said – “Why no, just a faster horse!”
Which means it is all about framing up the questions in the right way.
Communicating the cost, the benefit, and the return on investment.
Then accept the feedback.
Careful here – don’t justify or get defensive! Accept the feedback. Take this all in with your Leadership Team and see where this goes and what evolves. Sometimes you may be surprised to learn some great ideas will surface on how to create efficiencies and avoid bottlenecks by working better with what you have just do it differently.
By communicating regularly and including people in plans and objectives – everyone feels essential!
Because the fact is – they are!
Mitch Tublin is the CEO and Founder of Wenkroy International LLC a boutique consulting company with a main focus on adding value to people. Through Speaking, Training and Coaching lives are changed. My passion is to take people to the next level in their life and in their career or business.
