A craftsman commits to the patient practice and repetition of tasks to sustain the quality of his work.
A visionary has his eyes on the horizon imagining new possibilities.
Most of us have some of each in us and when they get along we create good things. When they are in conflict… not so much.
Organisations have that conflict in spades. On a daily basis we experience products and services where the detail and the promise are frustratingly at odds with each other.
How can we sustain both the vision for better futures and the painstaking eye for detail that ensures they come to fruition?
We need to move flexibly between the vision and the craftsmanship, often to and fro many times a day.
Fortunately, nature provides us with deep enduring practice in this pulsation. She has us do it all day with our eyes, as our focus moves from near to far.
And more deeply, she has our hearts beat and our lungs breathe. We’re pulsing creatures. All the time.
Could we bring more of that to our work? I’d like to think so.