Week #2 Leading at the Edge Ch.1

In this chapter, the author explains about strategy 1, "Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives."

While reading this chapter, I thought flexibility is one important quality.
Being flexible is not so easy thing as we think. When circumstance changes, you have two options. You can stick with your original goal, or you can look for new goal. You should better choose one which is better for not you but your group.

I learned "being flexible" when I went to school trip to Iowa when I was in high school. While visiting some town, an unexpected thing happened, and we had to change our schedule. In that situation, my English teacher taught us "Nobody knows what will happen, so be flexible!" Usually, in Japan, we have to follow schedule properly. Even if unexpected thing happen, I just had gave up doing it. However, since then, I have tried to be like flexible. While it is still difficult for me because even now I tend to follow schedule I decide in morning, I began to feel more generous to everything.

In the reading, Shackleton shows how flexibility is important. He had originally have an goal which was going to the south pole. However since the situation changed, he was forced to give up his desire and set a new goal, going to home safely. I assume that it was tough decision for Shackleton to give up, but the decision he made was the best of that situation.

In conclusion, I would like to put a quote by Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com.
"If you are not stubborn, you will give up on experiments too soon. And if you are not flexible, you will pound your head against the wall and you won't see a different solution to a problem you are trying to solve."

This picture is too much, but I believe flexibility is important quality for leadership and for your future.