I was in Osaka last month, and within two hours of exploring a massive shopping complex, I was completely lost.
Overpasses, underpasses, escalators going up, lifts going down, mall after connected mall. I had no idea how to get back to my hotel.
I pulled out my phone, but surrounded by concrete and high-rises, Google Maps was useless, the blue dot kept bouncing around on my screen.
So I walked outside, stepped onto the street and looked up.
Aha! There it was. The Hilton Osaka, towering in the distance.
I triumphantly threw my phone back in my pocket and confidently walked in its direction.
Why am I sharing this with you?
We’re in November now, sprinting towards the end of the year. When we’re busy, we tend to put our heads down and charge ahead.
Our focus narrows, which is great for getting things done…But it’s not so great if we’re losing sight of where we’re actually heading. The urgent almost always wins. Meanwhile, the things that might make a difference six months or a few years from now can wait. And wait.
Until eventually, they don’t happen at all.
Of course, some people have swung to the other extreme (of being so fixated on the future).
Two bizarre stories from Silicon Valley caught my attention this month:
Some tech enthusiasts are taking up smoking, apparently confident that AI will cure the damage.
Another founder has said he isn’t bothering to save for retirement because he doesn’t believe we (AKA, humans) will be around in ten years.
Looking up to rethink what’s next
I was invited onto the judging panel for Brisbane’s Lord Mayor’s Business Awards, in the Business Transformation of the Year category.
It was an absolute delight (and really inspiring) reading the applications, although a challenging judging process when you’re comparing small, medium and huge companies, each with their own compelling stories. The winner, Megaport won our category because of their remarkable/speedy evolution from a network-as-a-service provider, into a broader automated infrastructure platform.
Transformation is tough at an individual level (just talk to anyone two weeks into a new year!), let alone an organisational one. There are sunk costs, attachment to identity, comfort versus risk.
It’s SO much easier to stick with the status quo. That’s why I admire leaders willing to rethink their company’s direction, whether that’s opening up new markets, pivoting in response to volatility, or recognising an opportunity to take their strengths somewhere new.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been lucky to work with an airline services exco rethinking their long-term strategy, young engineers identifying the capabilities they’ll need for the future of work, and pharma leaders exploring how their track record might be limiting what others see as possible for them.
Across all these very different organisations, the underlying question has been the same: Are we deliberately investing in what comes next, or are we letting today’s demands, expectations and successes dictate our future?
In Work Fame, I write about taking yourself on a field trip. This is a great time of year for one. Step outside, go hang out on a rooftop bar, take a sketch pad, and ask yourself - What’s your Hilton Osaka right now?
What’s coming up
Leanne Hughes’ Con Con 2027: Only 7 spots remain. Join us at the Sunshine Coast from 3-4 June.
Review Work Fame on Amazon (pleeeease!)
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Leanne ‘Bouncing blue dot” Hughes