Many years ago, I happily visited Japan. It was an unbelievably awesome trip. Besides all the cultural aspects, I lost seven pounds on the trip. I walked everywhere for hours on end. I was ecstatic about it all.

When we made our way to Kyoto I was enthralled and eager to take it all in. We made our way to the bamboo forest and therein I felt a grand sense of serenity. We walked, we touched and we took in the sights of the individual bamboo. We were enveloped within them all. I recall pausing and just wanted to stay hidden amongst them. At one point, back at the hotel I looked at the photographs and was in even more awe. When I looked at the photos, I could see the full forest. I had missed it. And, it was even more enthralling. And, this happens all the tine. Doesn’t it?

I am constantly reminded of how we may get caught up in minutia and forget about the larger picture. I see so many people fall prey to such a mindset. A long time ago I read a book about “why” versus “how” people. If we want to be truly great leaders we need to give the “why”. You can’t build people up with just a series of tasks. And the same can be said about seeing the forest versus just seeing the trees. We get caught up in this all the time. The question is how to stand so that we can toggle our vision and see both.