Page 12 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2018

RISK MANAGEMENT
Vision 20/20: Preventing Opportunity Blindness
We humans are great at connecting dots when information is missing. The downfall of that is it leads to inaccurate assumptions, which lead to consequential actions, which lead us toward unplanned and often unwanted results.
BY J.A. RODRIGUEZ JR.
12 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2018
www.ohsonline.com
High-performing teams redefine excellence at the point where realization and achieve- ment intersect. It is at this juncture where opportunity is at its peak and readily acces-
sible for those who can see it and diligently work hard to make it their own.
Maybe today? Maybe tomorrow? Perhaps the next day? Opportunities. Will they come or will they go? So often these questions are asked, but so infre- quently are they answered. Yet for some seemingly
lucky people, opportunities seem to be there, always present and never-ending. Why? How is it possible for one colleague to be endowed by the grace of fortune while another ponders aimlessly in obscurity? Why is it that one is invited to the important meetings while the other awaits an abbreviated out-brief? This reveals the biggest of all questions: why have you perhaps not advanced to the point of impact where realization and achievement intersect?
Most likely, the answer to these questions is se- questered within the confines of your vision or blind- ness and the interrelationship between each as they interact in delicate balance that produces outcomes and results; expected and unexpected.
It’s my experience that most occupational safety and health professionals go through their careers waiting for the chance to take advantage of opportu- nities when they arise or simply hoping they do. I have seen many work very hard in directions that placed them in undesired positions or in positions that did not offer intellectual growth and professional devel- opment. I have seen early career professionals squan- der away amazing opportunities simply because they either did not see them or did not realize the potential of these prospects.
“Vision 20/20 - Preventing Opportunity Blind- ness” is designed to help you recognize the filters you have in place that are keeping opportunities at bay and to show you how to identify opportunities by be- ing mindful of the power of assumptions, by apply- ing process thinking principles and by understanding how human nature actually helps us in the decision- making process. The goal is to offer an alternative way of looking at challenges and to help you and your em- ployer innovate past the competition.
Together, we will focus on the power and deci- sional influence of assumptions and how they can be helpful and harmful to your career and your or- ganization. We will explore the inner relationship of vision and blindness and address how they are pow- erfully interlinked. We will uncover the major differ- ence between innovative and non-innovative people and how their mindset can drive both by design. We will unveil a true story that demonstrates the power of vision despite all odds and how financial success can come from it. We will touch upon process thinking and how it can be used to positively change outcomes for good. You may even discover a new way to view
J.A. RODRIGUEZ JR.