Focused, But Detached

7 men gathered in the parking lot of the Harris Teeter, home to the Sunday AO of The Coconut Horse. As the clock struck 0630, a white suburban was coming in hot – no, this is not JJ as he was already present. This would be Maybelline, somewhat early. Four runners took off for the main loop. Maybelline had his ruck vest to join Hunchback and Scrat for the Heatherloch ruck. Flintstone hung back with the Q for a slower mosey of 4 miles. We all reconvened in the parking lot at 0715, right on time. Stroganoff led the way pushing the pace for the primary runners. It was hot and muggy; summer has definitely arrived.

COT: Announcements – July 4th Declaration of Independence special beatdown at the hands of Tesla, followed by the reading of the Declaration (0700-0800); Roscoe has the Q at the Storm that morning. Annihilation with Tiger on 7/15 at the Yank. Prayers: Norwood, Ratchet & 2.0, Maybelline’s cousin, Roscoe’s uncle, Radar’s sister, and Anchorman’s sister-in-law.

Q-Source – the final chapter of The Dichotomy of Leadership covered Focused, But Detached written by Leif Babin. If you’re similar to me, certain phrases get stuck in your vocabulary and used on a regular basis without thought. “I can’t see the forest but for the trees,” is one of those in my lexicon. It was not quoted in the book but summarizes the concept we studied. A leader sometimes will be involved in detail but can’t get too intertwined or else lose some needed vision to guide the team. There are times the leader must detach in order to have perspective on the situation. Consistent with the 12 chapters in this book is the dichotomy of when to apply the focus or the detachment. It can be a struggle to find that balance. One of the quotes in the chapter worth sharing came from Colonel David Hackworth written in About Face which says: “An organization does well only those things the Boss checks.” I found that to be true in my team as my former boss pushed me to thoroughly check on details, even when it was beyond the point of my confidence in knowing the answer. He had me make phone calls or share updates on progress. He was a bit old school in his approach, but his way turned out to be right more than wrong. The lesson is the boss should never become too detached otherwise the team may skip a necessary detail.

Our group enjoyed this study. It stimulated good discussion for us. Until the next time, grateful for the opportunity to lead.

Short Sale