Since some of you are sneaking out early for the long memorial weekend ahead, I thought I’d keep today’s post on the lighter-side. {But as always, I’ll make this story relates to business practices.}
As I sat writing my blog a few weeks ago, I did something quite careless.
To set the scene, we were Zocalo, a Mexican restaurant that offers free salsa lessons. I was writing my blog while enjoying a beer and chips. In plain sight was the dance floor with about 40 people taking a group lesson.
I was so engrossed in my writing that I did not observe my surroundings. It wasn’t until multiple gasps were heard from the dance floor that I realized something was amiss. I looked up and my basket of chips was on fire. Literally. Apparently, in my inattentiveness, I had pulled the chip basket too close to the votive candle, and the paper lining was now in flames. Dramatic flames.
As an aside, I’ve never been particularly impressive in emergencies. I’m not the one you would want on your team in a risky situation. I tend to freeze up and sometimes do odd things (like nervously laugh when I should be mobilizing to solve a problem). In this moment at Zocalo, I began blowing on the flames. It took someone from the dance floor to run over and douse the fire with glasses of beer/water.
What did this teach me, and why is it relevant to Scarlett Letter readers?
Well, in addition to the obvious (improving my reaction time and quality in emergencies), it also taught me that even when I’m focused or deep in thought, I still need to be aware of my surroundings. In a closed-door office environment, my heads-down work can become completely engrossing and is probably ‘safe’.
But so often I’m doing my work on-site at a client’s, or at a coffee house, or on public transportation. By not remaining at least somewhat aware of my surroundings, I’m missing out. I know this for a fact, because when I’m in someone else’s company, they will often say: “Hey, did you just see that?” or “Did you hear what those people were talking about on the elevator?” My answer is typically ‘no, darn it!’ Because I’m too-often focused on my own thoughts, I’m missing juicy information that could help in my business (or life!)
So I’ll ask you. Do you have best practices to ensure you are capturing opportunities and information by being more aware of your surroundings? How do you make sure to not get overly distracted, but simultaneously remain a proficient observer?
Feel free to post or to send me a private email (I know some of you are shy about posting!)