The art of framing

“Someday we will laugh about this” It is an often used statement when people try to frame a setback in a different light. For any event to have meaning, it is important to decide in which time frame you reflect on it. The timeframe influences what the event means and how to respond to it.

For many leaders the 'here and now' frame, quarterly results, or yearly budgets are dominant, while wider frames like a 3-year strategy or a vision for a decade get too limited attention. Short time frames can be important, for example when the house is on fire you better get out immediately.

However, exceptional historic leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, balanced many time frames and looked even beyond their 'life time' frame for how to respond in the moment. As a lot of people, by the end of the year, reflect on the year behind them and make plans for the next, ask yourself: which time frames do I gravitate to when evaluating a situation and which ones could I use a bit more often?

When reflecting and making plans, use the moment to take stock with an even wider timeframe than just next year. But of course keep focus on the 'now' and 'today' time frame when spending time with loved ones. ...meer