Has anyone ever asked you if your ladder is up against the right wall? No, me neither but I sometimes wish they had.
It’s a strange question on the face of it but it has a very significant meaning. It is most commonly quoted as coming from Stephen R. Coveys “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and is all about helping us see that there is a difference between being busy and being effective. We can put a lot of time and effort into completing a task. But if that task isn’t helping us achieve our goals, it’s pretty much pointless.
The actual quote from Covey is “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” You can spend all your time mastering the intricacies of chess, but if the game you’re going to compete is a darts match you’ve simply wasted all that effort.
A story from the 7 Habits tells of a group of workers chopping down trees in a forest. They work hard at felling trees and soon have taken down a significant number of them. They take a break, congratulating each other on a job well done and slapping each other on the back. A foreman turns up on site to check on progress. He looks at the pile of felled trees and the workers look on expectantly, waiting for him to praise their efforts. Taking a map from his pocket the foreman surveys the site again and looks at the assembled workers. “Guys, we’re in the wrong forest!”
Call to Action
The title of this post is a reminder that sometimes we get caught up in the detail and lose sight of the bigger picture. We need to take time to step back and think – ‘Is what I’m doing right now helping me achieve my goals?’ If it isn’t then you’ve probably got your ladder up against the wrong wall.
To find out more about The 7 Habits and how The Development Catalyst can help you and your team become even more effective click here