In astronomy, it often takes months of practice to see detail in very faint objects. One new member of our astronomy club (Emily, Age 14) recently posted this story about learning to see distant galaxies with her telescope:
”I heard a story once that the natives of the Caribbean noticed that there were these unusual waves coming up on the shore. The waves were produced by Columbus’s ships. They couldn’t see the ships because they were so abnormal to them. The shaman/priest of the tribe would go to the shore and look where the waves were coming from every day to see what was making them. One day he saw them, Columbus’s Ships. The fellow natives, when told of this, believed him because of how highly they regarded the Shaman. Seeing things more clearly reminds me of this.“
Emily is being remarkable. She’s applying a story she knew to a real life experience. She’s really learning to see.
Sometimes the daily bustle of business interferes with our ability to see the ships. Those could be ships of the competition or a boatload of new customers.
Do you take the time necessary to interpret the waves lapping against the shore of your business? More importantly, do your people have time to look up and see the ships?