Expanding your horizons, yet mastering your world!

Silo-focussed vs broad-based approach; closed vs open; globalized vs localized; multi-tasking vs uno-tasking; chaos vs structure; innovation vs efficiency; eastern vs western; my world vs larger world

There is a pattern that flows through all these dichotomies – you can’t do justice to one aspect without experiencing the other.

For instance, a professional working on his own stuff without knowing or appreciating what others contribute to a larger goal of project success or strategy implementation isn’t doing justice to himself or to his firm. Likewise, a company or a nation working on its own priorities with a blind eye towards what other firms in their own industry are up to or what other nations are working towards is committing the same blunder. The world is more connected now than ever and ignoring the world that is not your own is not a good idea.

There is also a philosophy that each one of us, irrespective of the boundaries we created for our selves such as nations, religions, cultures, personalities etc, is part of a big web that is spread across the universe. That doesn’t mean dissipation or distraction of individual resources is the answer – focus is still the primary attribute for excellence, but with an appreciation of how your excellence contributes to larger good.

How do we go about developing this openness while retaining the closedness, if you will? Start befriending folks who doesn’t belong to your boundaries (same thinking, same industry, same country etc), expand your social circle – and may be leveraging your existing relationships could be a starting point in appreciating such diversity. Good luck!