A few weeks ago, I was asked to help a Kenyan friend with a presentation on micro mapping. I told her that I’ve no clue what micro mapping is and neither does Wikipedia. She then said something about mission statements. I suggested to her that micro mapping might then relate to the translation of a company’s mission statement into individual (department/staff member) objectives. Her question kept lingering on in my mind.
In my business life I have noticed 3 kinds of people. There are some managers who are (too) far ahead of their troops and have little to no sense about (day-to-day) reality. Then there are employees who dive into details and lose sight of the bigger picture (eg, why). Fortunately, the remaining people connect both worlds.
Nowadays, many people seem pre-occupied with micro issues that seem hardly relevant. Moreover, these people get mad at each other for their diverse opinions on these micro issues. Few are willing to interfere (read: connect) as a verbal war is the likely result.
A few days ago, I noticed a picture stating the “5 by 5” rule: “If it’s not gonna matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes being upset by it.” I like this approach and wish people would spend their precious time on things that do matter.
I have been wondering about the underlying cause of human micro management. During my visits to Kenya and my conversations with Kenyans, I noticed that their life is very different from ours. Many Kenyans still face a daily/weekly struggle for basic necessities like food and next month’s rent. Their priorities are clear.
Western priorities are no longer about how but about which (eg, food, job, house, hospital, income, school). When our first “which” option fails, we stress and display a “why me” (victim) attitude. When our first “which” option succeeds, we make sure other people get a “why them” attitude. I’m convinced that the German Chancellor does see the Big Picture regarding immigrants and refugees but she is too far ahead of her voters (“why us”).
Today’s society is complex, perhaps even too complex. People do however feel the threats regarding their not too distant future for jobs, housing, income and welfare. Immigrants and refugees now start eating from the same and already shrinking pie. Legitimate concerns are waived by labelling these fears as extremist. Anger is the result. Fear-mongers stepped in the vacuum with simple slogans, not solutions. There are no simple solutions.
We seem to have no answers to ongoing and accelerating self-inflicted threats like migration, robotics and urbanisation. We focus on issues like climate change which are largely beyond human control. Guardian, September 2016: “The sea level on Australia’s north-west coast rose 130 metres after the end of the ice age, at a rate of about a metre every five to 10 years.” This post glacial global sea level rise is still ongoing although much slower. We should focus on the Big Picture of our self-inflicted threats.
The Eagles – Fail Grasp on the Big Picture (2007)
artists, lyrics, songfacts, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Well, ain’t it a shame
That our short little memories
Never seem to learn
The message of history
We keep making the same mistakes
Over and over and over and over again
And then we wonder why
We’re in the shape we’re in
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