The Lighthouse: Getting Back To Center

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The waves of crisis and uncertainty have been crashing about and tossing our ship. The fog is thick making it tough to see through ambiguity, conflicts and confusing realities. Over year after “two weeks to flatten the curve” of this pandemic we ask ourselves, remember when things were normal? We can’t forget that the unsettled seas we sail in have massive rocks that we must successfully navigate.

It more critical than ever for the sake of our team members, customers and local communities that we know where we are going, and we take control of our sails. Yes we can control our own sails despite circumstances. But how, with such a volatile reality?

We can navigate any choppy seas by getting back to center through locating your lighthouse. A lighthouse is structure like a tower that is designed to project light to serve as a navigational aid for those at sea. The lighthouse serves as a certain true north that you can count on to guide you despite the rough seas.

5 areas to find your lighthouse and get back on track both professionally and personally.

Mission and vision

Look at your current location in relation to your organizational mission and vision. Why is your company in business in the first place? How far off course is it? This also applies personally. What is your personal mission and vision? Or a different lense see this question through is what is your purpose? If you haven’t figured that out yet and feel restless and frustration misalignment to your true purpose might be why you feel that way.

2. Core values

Do you remember your core values? Ok, but are they practiced consistently by leaders? The same question applies personally. For example, for me trust is core personal value. But when an organization’s leaders lie to employees and puts politics above people there is no trust and no alignment. Core value alignment matters at all levels in order to navigate choppy seas together.

3. Faith

Where do you placed your faith? Remember the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:29)? Peter got out of the boat and started to walk on water. But when he took his eyes of Jesus and started to focus on the waves he became frighten and then began to sink. Sometimes a spreadsheet or data reports won’t provide all your answers. Directional insight comes from faith. Again, I ask where have you placed your faith?

4. Focus

With so much to get done it is easy to lose focus and wind up with people paddling in different directions. Like the ship that got stuck in the Suez canal so will your ship. Is it time to do a regroup? There is nothing wrong with doing multiple regroup sessions throughout the year to ensure that everyone is focused on the same priorities.

5. Live local

Shopping and supporting local businesses can boost the economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Association for every $100 you spend at local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. Small businesses employ 77 million Americans and accounted for 65% of all new jobs over the past 17 years. Granted many businesses struggled given lockdown measures.

But this is more than just shopping local. It’s about supporting your neighbors who own and operate those businesses. Local business donates more money to local communities and non-profits. Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and will feel the impact of those decisions.

Local stores help sustain vibrant and walkable town environments which in turn reduce sprawl, automobile use and pollution. This is ironic given there are giant conglomerate voices that will say that we need to be part of a global collective in order to save the world from global warming. Ironically, the answer to that very problem is to live local.

We can also make an impact by supporting local schools, community entities by getting involved.

If you feel lost in the sea, consider a “back to center” session with leaders, team members, friends or family. You can navigate these choppy waters by bringing things back to center.

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Tresha Moreland

Tresha Moreland is a 30-year organizational effectiveness and strategic workforce planning expert. She partners with business leaders to develop workplace strategies that achieve best-in-class results. She has held key organizational leadership roles in multiple industries such as manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality, and healthcare. Tresha is the founder and principal consultant of HR C-Suite, LLC (www.hrcsuite.com). HR C-Suite is a results-based HR strategy resource dedicated to connecting HR with business results. She has received a master’s degree in human resource management (MS) and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). She has also earned a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Six Sigma Black Belt Professional (SSBBP) Certification. She is also recognized as a Fellow with the American College Healthcare Executives with a FACHE designation.