Can You See The Moon?

Hello Human

In the 17th century Japanese Poet and Samurai Mizuta Masahide wrote this Haiku:

‘Barn's burnt down -- now I can see the moon.’

We can all relate to situations at work, at home, in relationships and friendships, where things happen that at face value aren’t great (the barn’s burnt down), but from which good things may arise (now I can see the moon).

My Muse intent isn’t to make light of any situation where someone has suffered a serious and significant loss. We, humans, face those things throughout our lifetime. With that said Masahide’s words from the 17th century offer us a different perspective, when bad things do happen.

Let’s zero in on work and leadership for the remainder of this Muse.

So, your ‘barn’s burnt down’...

For example:

● You didn’t get the promotion you applied for.

● Your boss doesn’t rate your contribution.

● Your annual performance rating isn’t where you thought it would be.

● You missed the project deadline.

● There’s no budget for your individual development program.

● ‘Busy’ is taking its toll on your health.

● Your request to take leave has been declined.

The list of ‘barn burning’ scenarios in organisations is endless, right?

In the face of all of those barn burnings though, you can ‘see the moon’...

There’ll be other promotion opportunities. Perhaps right now this one wasn’t the right one for you. Seize the opportunity to think through your next one or two career moves. Are you in the right role, with the right organisation? What do you want to do? Who do you want to be? What don’t you want to do? Who don’t you want to be?

Find another boss. You work too long and too hard not to be valued. There’ll be many in your organisation who rate you and value your contribution. Go and work with them. If not, find another organisation.

Bell curves, smell curves: - the annual trade in human flesh as I like to refer to it.

Standard distribution of annual performance is one of the great blights on organisations. A position on a curve, and a number beside your name on a spreadsheet don’t define you as human. Don’t let it get to you. Take the ‘rating’ for what it is, and go and gaze at the moon.

Deadlines are artificial. Sure you have to get stuff done, and perhaps you don’t want to make a habit of missing deadlines, but seriously what’s the net effect of you missing the deadline? Maybe in that extra day or week there’s new information available. Perhaps with a bit more time the final product will be better.

Let’s be frank, organisations screw development budgets all the time. People are our greatest asset, just don’t expect us to invest in them! If you aren’t locked into some version of corporate brainwashing activity on the boss’s dime, maybe you can invest in yourself via the world wide web. Free development programs abound these days. Your view of the moon here could have a profound impact on your future.

(I must pause here for shameless ‘development’ self-promotion. My Academy could be the source of your next development opportunity. Far more insightful and beneficial to your work and life than what the boss may fund for you anyway.)

The disease of being busy is rocking your world, not in a good way. Try this for a fortnight as you gaze at the moon. Decline half the meetings you get invited to. Turn your phone off at a predetermined time every night. Block out a period of time to devote to email each day. Before and after that period of time focus on the real work. Leave work early one day per week, at least. And while you are at it, leave loudly. Tell everyone you are going to look at the moon.

They can’t decline your leave forever. At some point, you have to take it. So in the face of the decline this time, lock in a time when you can and will take it. Perhaps the opportunity presents itself for a bigger, longer, better trip.?

Tell the boss you are taking a well-earned, thoroughly deserved, trip to the moon.

Go well Human.