Moving Forward
by Miki Saxon“In many ways, it’s not my generation’s fault that Japan has so much debt,” he said. “But blaming others won’t get us anywhere. We just need to find a way forward. It’s the responsibility of all of us born into this age.” –31 year old Naomichi Suzuki, the youngest mayor of the country’s most rapidly aging city.
You could do much worse than incorporate Naomichi Suzuki’s attitude into your company culture, life and as an integral part of your MAP.
Organizations and individuals spend inordinate amounts of time and energy assigning blame and indulging in recriminations.
At times it seems they want apologies more than solutions.
Look not just around you, but also in the mirror, and you’ll find at least one such active situation (say thanks if it’s only one).
Assigning fault is necessary in certain circumstances, usually when specific legal and societal laws are broken by specific, identifiable individuals.
Assigning responsibility is most productive when used as a learning experience, again for specific, identifiable individuals.
Solutions that move the situation forward are where time, energy and resources should be focused, but for some it’s more about them than solving the problem.
“Supporters of the defeated Ms. Iijima [the losing candidate] dominate the city council, blocking proposals and hurling criticism at the young mayor.”
The question all individuals must answer for themselves is what’s most important,
- my way or
- solving/moving forward.
Flickr image credit: Patrizio Cuscito
