I’ve grown to appreciate those timeless sayings that used to annoy me as a kid. You know what I’m talking about. Like:
- “A penny saved is a penny earned” from good ol’ Ben Franklin or
- “Fortune favors the bold” or
- “Actions speak louder than words.”
I’ve come to understand the business application of many adages and especially “You can’t see the forest for the trees”. The beautiful Black Forest in Germany is so thick with trees that they shut out the light. Sure, there’s plenty of space to walk between the trees but after just a few steps in, the individual trees block your 360-degree view and your sense of direction can be quickly lost. I love hiking and walked through the Black Forest many years ago. In fact, I’ve hiked since I was a Boy Scout and still do here in Colorado. Yet, with all that time and experience I still place my trust in a compass and map to provide a sense of direction should I need it. I trust in that piece of equipment’s ability to provide me with the outside perspective of my position anywhere in the forest or mountains.
Likewise, there’s a real and present danger for business owners who have been thrust so deep into their business, that those “trees” (working with customers, paying bills, solving the day to day problems that crop up, general lack of time and fires) keep them from seeing the forest that they are operating in (the direction and trends in their industry, keeping the customer at the heart of their business, annual planning for example).
