In a meeting the other day, someone made this comment:
“I’m trying to fit into a Haiku” – Guy
My first reaction was a laugh.
He clearly made the point.
He is working to put his content into someone else’s framework.
A structure he didn’t design.
And I could relate…hence the chuckle.
Most of our careers we are trying to “fit into a Haiku”.
We spend our days aligning our work to structures others have built.
This has benefits.
We understand the process.
We know what to do.
This also has downsides.
We may not be good at writing a “haiku”.
The situation may no longer need the haiku; it needs a limerick.
Our creativity feels stifled.
What happens when we find ourselves in someone’s structure that isn’t a fit for us?
We need to recognize that this has happened.
Then, there are three choices:
- Determine you can work within the framework.
- Recognize it won’t work and have the courage to move on.
- Decide to take on the work required to inspire change in the system.
Your Turn
Have you ever found yourself in someone else’s haiku?
How might you recognize the next time you are and consider your choices?
Have you set up the haiku that others need to live within?