Chapter 8:
Think Like a CEO
I have a computer software package that allows you to view details of almost every street, road, and highway in the United States. At the most detailed level, you can call up a map that shows where on a specific street any particular address is located. At the broadest level, you view a map of the entire United States.
To go from the view of my home street, to a view that includes all the streets of my town, to a map of Los Angeles, to one of the western United States, and finally to the broadest view takes twenty “step backs.” And still, I can see only the United States.
The human brain has this same capability of stepping back or focusing in to allow you to view something from the broadest possible perspective to a narrow focus with great detail. There are times when you want to take “a big STOP” to view your entire life from a place where you can see everything without limitation of a particular space or time. It is from such a vantage point that you can gain the perspective to reflect on the larger or most fundamental questions.
At some point, taking a big STOP is essential to gaining mobility. Core values can be clarified and recommitted to. It provides a time for getting clear on the purpose that gives direction to all of your other purposes and for making any changes that will help you fulfill your most important goals.
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We Have All Won the Lottery – I began to take stock of my “corporate resources.” As I looked at everything that was involved in simply being human, I realized that this corporation was not at all insignificant. I also felt a growing sense of responsibility and autonomy. As CEO of this incredible instrument, I reported to no one. I found the exercise gave me an invaluable perspective on my ultimate mobility and soon I designed a module of an executive seminar based on it. I invite you to participate in the basic elements of this module. It starts with a simple question, totally out of any particular context: “Who do you work for?”