Tunnel Vision

October 26, 2011 by Gail
Filed under VPL

Sometimes we mistake bloody mindedness for tunnel vision. It isn’t. And it’s a common mistake among those who think it is. But where being bloody minded makes us stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to co-operate; tunnel vision on the otherhand keeps what matters central in our vision. The effect is a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision.

VPL

VPL is short for Very Penneylane. They’re my take on everyday lessons from life. Lessons learnt and others where I missed the boat completely. Life’s long or short, depending on which end of the paddle you draw. Either way, being stuck up a creek without one makes for some interesting observations.

About that Lesson

In business tho’, this constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision can prevent peripheral insight. The insight is important, if for no other reason, than it gives us options to change direction on the fly. It enables us to recognise when we’re haring off down a wrong path and to be able to go back before reaching the point of no return.

A few years ago I was working for a Corporation where all the other Senior Managers were guys. And weren’t they all competitive. And here I came to troubleshoot a disorganised, poorly performing, poorly recruited team in a Branch that was flat-lining. Challenging right? Yes!

Location Location Location

So, rolling up my sleeves I make some small but critical changes to the environment. I vacate the big-boss Office and turn it into a secure utility/records storage room. It’s perfect. I relocate into the main office area with my team. There’s method in my madness.

I relocate to sit unnervingly (my wet-behind-the-ears) Recruitment Consultant tells me six months later to a desk positioned face-to-face with him. It’s a good way to model closing a sale, or hearing how it’s done. It’s a better way to know who wants what and when and how to move as a team together to give the client what they need. By week’s end, we go from team to two. Me and him. I never fired a soul but cosmetic changes to the office layout will flush out layabouts. It did.

Dust Busters

Then we did some housekeeping. We went through 8 filing cabinets that housed close to 3000 client files. We qualified them all by piles. Systematically: Active, Inactive and Archive. Antiquated but actually effective. We ended up with 130 REAL Active clients and 50-odd No-man landers. We managed to persuade 30 No-man landers back to the dark side.

The other Senior Managers were amused. Most of them spent 4 out of 5 days on the road doing biz development. Fair enough, if that’s how you roll. I didn’t. I’m sure (to each of them) with only 160 clients I was definitely road kill on their way to the top of Monthly Branch dominance. However, to me those 160 clients represented a truer picture of our business.

I followed the qualifications up with onsite client Occupational Health & Safety audits and didn’t that raise some hackles. We were reduced to 140 REAL Active clients by the end of this process. I rewrote the Terms & Conditions, freshened up the Rates Schedule in keeping with the Federal/State/Industry Awards and had clients sign off on the paperwork. Did I go on the road then? No.

Drilling Tunnels

I went deeper into our client’s businesses. I made it my business to know everything about them and where they were going. Here’s the thing, when you know who your clients are, you can stop streetwalking and get down to the serious work of satisfying the needs and wants of those you know.

For the record, on Day 1 of the following month, me and my wet-behind-the-ears Recruitment Consultant hit the ground running in previously uncharted areas of our client’s businesses. Team Two wrote orders till the cat came back. And yes, like the nine-lives of a cat, we survived and clawed our way to dominance against the other Branches. We were pure Cheshire.

Bloody mindedness is a useless attribute if its effect isn’t purpose-driven, harness it. Tunnel vision can be a driver but it’s helpful to understand its limitations. When you’re in the driver’s seat, peripheral vision assists your awareness in knowing what’s going on around you. But the real lessons for bosses are: be where your team is, show them how you mean business and ride the success story with them instead of apart from them.