# The Office of Reflection and Preparation By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-04-25 There are two ways to think about achievement. The first is to believe that you can control your destiny. If you work and think hard, you'll find the achievement. The second is to take advantage of things as they come to you. If you are prepared and observant, you'll be able to take full advantage of the opportunity that comes to you. Obviously, there is room for both views to coexist, but most people lean one way or the other concerning achievement. Note that this only applies to those seeking achievements. Many people fall into this category, and achievement is not a concern. When you think about organizations, which viewpoint do they primarily take? All care about achievement, and most believe they can control their destiny to make it happen. The problem is destiny is a human idea to explain the unexplainable. It is not a logical understanding of the world as popularly discussed. Maybe all that work will manifest your desired destiny, or maybe the universe thinks otherwise. The issue with nearly every organization believing they can control their destiny is it promotes mindless work. If you are doing nothing, you are not manifesting your destiny. Doing anything is better than nothing. In the other camp, preparing and observing promote moments of listening and inaction. You are still working to improve and develop, but discernment about what to do based on observations balances endless work with stillness and reflection. How many stories are told of individuals who work hard to reach their destiny to only regret the journey or forget their purpose? Yet, we form organizations that do exactly the same thing. Regardless of the values and mission statements on the office walls, most organizations have forgotten why they exist and they are working so hard. There is no real reflection that becomes woven into the organizational fabric. Why not give the other view a chance? Stand up an Office of Reflection and Preparation. Fill it with analysts, trainers, and operational minded individuals. See what happens. #### Related Items [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Preparing]] [[Observing]] [[Success]] [[The Human Condition]] [[Paradigms]]