THIS WEEKS THOUGHT Can't See the wood for the Trees - Week 32
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I was having a couple of drinks with some old friends this weekend and I heard the phrase, “People just can’t see the wood for the trees”. I was stunned because only the day before someone else had said the same phrase to me at work
Interestingly it’s one of those common phrases that I’ve used a few times myself. I did a little digging and I believe the earliest recording of this phrase was in 1546 by John Heywoods who wrote 'Plentie is no deinte, ye see not your owne ease. I see, ye can not see the wood for trees.'
The phrase reminded me of a story I heard about Franz Klammer (From John Elliot). It was the winter Olympics located in Innsbruck 1976. Franz was a down hill skier and he needed a great run to win. To cut a long story short Franz’s style was appalling. He went down the slope almost falling 4 or 5 times and did much of the run on one leg. When he reached the end, not only was it fast, but he’d managed to win and break the world record. He was asked what he was thinking about on the way down and his response was “I just wanted to get down the slope as fast as possible”.
So what’s this got to do with not seeing the wood for the trees? Well it occurred to me that sometimes I focus on my strategy at the expense of my goals. Franz on this occasion knew better, sure he had a strategy for skiing, which no doubt included having great techniques but in the crucial moment he focused on delivering his goal and not delivering his strategy. Determined to get down the mountain faster than anyone else, after all that what his strategy was created to do!
So assuming there are lots of people like me who sometimes focus on their strategies at the expense of their goals, then I guess its not surprising why 500 years on, the phrase “can’t see the wood for the trees” is so commonplace.
Till next week, remember what your goals are!
David Gardner
THE MUST HAVE
"THE ACHIEVERS EDGE"
By Peter Thompson
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Bluebird - A pint of Ale & water speed record
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Other books and CDs I've mentioned can be found here
There are loads of great audio programs at Nightingale Conant's ,web site here,
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