What Does a Blind Man and a Navy Test Pilot Have in Common?

• Become more situationally aware
• Deal better with complexity and the feeling of being overwhelmed
• Learn where to place your “crowbar” for maximum leverage and least effort
• Leverage ambiguity and uncertainty to your advantage

WHEN PRESSED, MOST people admit to being “caught up” in the details that barrage their lives. We have been conditioned to focus on particular events at the expense of recognizing the patterns that give rise to them. The opposite is true for me. Early in my life, a retina condition left me unable to see detail, while leaving my peripheral vision intact. So, I rely on a form of pattern recognition. I learned early to become situationally aware. I absorb information through multiple senses and infer details through contextual cues. Pattern recognition is more vital today than ever. We too often fail to see how our individual actions, amplified over time and by the attitudes of others behaving the same way, can lead to unforeseen and sometimes disastrous results. It is also easy to be seduced into equating activity with progress. We all must learn to see our actions within a broader context. Tactical decisions have strategic consequences. Unless we recognize how our actions relate to the whole—the vision of our own lives—we risk making short-term decisions that run counter to our long-term values and goals.

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