When we study physics one of the interesting concepts to get your head around is the concept that your frame of reference, often referred to as just the reference frame, changes things a lot.
If we are zooming through space next to the Voyager II probe as it exits the solar system from our frame of reference Voyager would appear stationary and the sun and planets would appear to be zooming away at 17.5km per second. The question is, which is moving, Voyager II or the Solar System ?
The answer ? Well it’s all relative.
We tend to spend most of our time planning and focusing on the future, but how we understand where we’ve come from and respect where we are is just as important.
After a very rewarding week facilitating with a number of organisations I was struck the power of this intersection; where have we come from, where are we now and where do we want to go ? This is part of the essential alignment between the systems or process we use, the strategy and stories we tell plus how we communicate them that has to link with these questions also.
So this weeks challenge: Do your stand-ups (where we are), go through your planning rituals (where we are going) and run your retrospectives (where we’ve been) but … Make sure you’re not just going through the motions; Perhaps stop and really reflect on where you’ve been, where you are and where you want to be. Figure out how you’re going to capture that story and engage others with it.
“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” – Marie Curie
I love seeing philosophy as an everyday practice.