If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else

An old Indian proverb starts with a group of blind men hearing that an elephant had come to town.

They each wanted to “see” this beast by touch.

So, one blind man touched its trunk.

He thought the elephant was like a thick snake.

Another touched a leg and said it was like a tree trunk.

One felt the tail and imagined it as a rope.

Another, the tusk, calling it smooth and sharp, like a spear.

Each blind man saw one part and was convinced it was the whole.

When they disagreed, tempers rose.

But then, a sighted man walked by.

The man with vision described the entire elephant.

Each blind man realized they’d only seen one piece.

As leaders, we often operate like those blind men.

Only seeing parts of the whole.

We think our firms are unique.

Our services, innovative.

Our thinking, insightful.

Our case studies, remarkable.

But do we see only the trunk, tusk, or tail?

It’s easy to see our slice and assume it’s the whole picture.

But like those blind men, we can’t see it all.

That’s why, as 2025 approaches, it might be time for an outside perspective.

Someone to help us see the whole elephant.

To show us the parts we’re missing.

As you plan for the year ahead, ask yourself:

Are you touching just one part of the elephant?

Or are you seeing the whole?

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.