Here’s How Altitude Improves Your Attitude
By Michael Burger
I recently flew from Minneapolis back home to Los Angeles. I spoke to 180 small business owners in the HVAC business on staying “Absolutely Necessary” to the their customers and each other. There’s a book published by the same name, I co-wrote it, but I digress. As I stared out the window on final approach, it dawned on me; the view from 10,000 feet altitude is the optimal perspective we need to take in business. In other words Your Attitude can effect Your Altitude…Let me explain: From 10,000 feet you’ll notice the trees look microscopic, the buildings flat, the mountains and valleys all so close they look like nothing more than a hop, skip and jump from one to the other.
When we view our business at street level, the landscape those mountains, the buildings block our line of sight. Our attitude changes as the mountains are now ‘huge’ the buildings impossible to see through… “you can’t see the forest for the trees.”
We need to approach our business and problem-solving from a higher elevation. I encourage business leaders to take that high-altitude view of their trade. Don’t be intimidated or discouraged by the challenges you’re facing at street level. Look above- look beyond. I call this the new AAA. Attitude Altitude Awareness.
Look, viewing your competition, your adversaries and your goals from that centerline, as they say in aviation, enables you to see the big picture. I say keep your head not in the clouds, but above the boulevard. You can scale that mountain, there is a way through that building, and those trees… 90% air as they say in golf. So the old expression “keep you head down and stay focused” needs a reroute. “Pull up!” as they say in aviation.
Keep your head up and take a captain’s view of your business, your challenges, and your competition. You’ll discover you’ll be able to navigate your way with an unobstructed problem-solving view. I’m Michael Burger Now…Put your tray tables back, your seat in the upright position, and go land yourself that next big deal!