We had a ROWL meeting today. Everything has come together so well lately that we wanted to share the progress with new and old members of the committee. The committee has developed into a group of members who really have a committed interested in recycling. It is a diverse group: a farmer, former school teachers, former recycling managers, a priest, a laid off medical tech and a waste disposal man, there today.
What struck me was how people with different personalities interact in a meeting. I can only speak from experience with these personalities in this particular setting. However, it is obvious that some people must see things in general as the glass half empty. Those people can make it difficult to accomplish your objectives and keep focused on your goals. They are the people who will never be convinced even when they see it. The typical doubting Thomases.
Now I'm not saying that one should go about things with rose colored glasses on and ignore important details. But, then again I think that keeping an open mind is the first step in accomplishing any challenge. How do people think Columbus ever would have found America(okay, I know he wasn't really the first) if he hadn't challenged the belief that the world was flat? And how about the guy who invested in and sent the capsule up into space last week. It would never have happened if he didn't take a risk. Granted a well educated and calculated risk, but still a risk.
Maybe, the older I get the more I feel that weighing the risk against the importance of the mission is worth it. And what do we have to lose? The opportunity for someone to enjoy saying,"I told you so!"
I think that both kinds of people are needed for the best outcome.
ReplyDeleteHalf glass full type of people usually focus on the upsides and best case scenarios, while down playing the negatives and challenges in the way.
Half glass empty type of people usually focus on the downsides and worst case scenarios, while down playing the positives and benefits to be had.
The truth and, usually the best path, lies somewhere in the middle. It's good to bring up both the positives and the negatives in order to fully discuss and chew on projects such as ROWL.