The advantage of facing forwards
We all face forwards.
So there’s a choice. Whatever you’re facing, you can choose to work through what’s in front of you.
What’s in front of you is the next opportunity. It’s the next group of people to work or collaborate with. It’s the next opportunity to make new things.
This might mean you need new skills.
This always means you need more empathy.
But whichever way you’re facing there’s an opportunity to think creatively about what you’re doing. There should always room for more creativity. More diversity. More collaboration and a willingness to work together.
The alternative is facing backwards
Trying to face backwards is just painful. It’s not natural.
Problems are opportunities and opportunities are problems to be solved.
Start by recognising the size of the opportunity in front of you.
So where are you facing?
When we recognise what’s in front of us we can choose to see things differently.
Seeing the world differently then working towards making it happen has to be deliberate. It’s a decision built on the small, collective actions of the people you bring with you.
Think about ways of shaping things. Changing things. Finding creative ways to keep going.
Finding your focus
Don’t be afraid to take a step backwards.
Sometimes you have to find your focus. You can take a step backwards or forwards to find the right perspective, working your way through the next thing.
Depending on where you’re standing things can become much clearer.
Same things, different perspective.
There’s always a next step whatever you’re facing. That counts, even when you find yourself heading in a whole new direction.
That’s the advantage of facing forwards. So what’s in front of you right now?
This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 18 years. You can follow all of my posts by subscribing to this RSS feed. You can also find me on Bluesky, less frequently now on X (formally Twitter), and on LinkedIn.